In Brief
The State of Madhya Pradesh challenged a High Court order that granted a retired forest officer (R.D. Sharma) pension at an apex scale introduced by an amended pay rule in 2008, seven years after his retirement in 2001. The Supreme Court held that a retired officer cannot claim benefits of post-retirement upgradations. Since the upgraded post required selection from serving officers rather than automatic seniority, the retired officer was ineligible. The Court noted that pay scale determination is the executive's domain, not the judiciary's, and the High Court wrongly applied 'equal pay for equal work' while exercising superintendence. The appeals were allowed and the High Court's orders set aside."
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