In Brief
Dr. P.N. Shukla and other Research Assistants (later Assistant Scientific Officers) at the Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology challenged the unlawful grant of higher pay and Non-Practising Allowance to a colleague, respondent No. 4, despite all being recruited under identical rules and performing equivalent duties. The Supreme Court held that the order granting respondent No. 4 a higher pay scale (₹8000-13500 plus NPA from his joining date) was illegal, as it wrongfully equated his non-clinical research position with medical officers under misapplied Pay Commission recommendations. The Court found a deliberate scheme to deny equal treatment to the appellants, exposed the ex-cadre declaration as a cover-up lacking legal justification, and directed recovery of excess payments disbursed. The judgment upheld principles of equality in government service and accountability for administrative infractions.
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