In Brief
Private Secretaries (Grade II) in Eastern Central Railways sought parity in pay with their counterparts in the Railway Board and Central Secretariat under the 6th Central Pay Commission recommendations. The Supreme Court held that zonal railways are non-Secretariat organizations governed by paragraph 3.1.14 of the Commission's report, not paragraph 3.1.9 applying to Secretariat offices. Though the Commission acknowledged disparity between field and secretariat offices, it restricted absolute parity to the Assistant grade level. Beyond that, functional differences and separate cadre governance rules justified distinct pay scales. The Court rejected parity claims based on similar designations alone, holding that separate Pay Commission recommendations for different organizational categories must remain meaningful and not rendered otiose.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.