SC asks govt to consider equal pay for equal work for central police personnel

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Union government to consider a plea by the personnel of central police organisations for 'equal pay for equal work' if they were performing the duties like group 'A' officers.

“We think it apt to say that if the conferment of monetary benefit can assuage the grievance of the respondents (central police organisations officers), the Union of India may rethink over the matter without disturbing its sense of discipline as it conceives. The personnel of BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, RPF and SSB are to play their role in their duties,” a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Mohan M Shantanagoudar said.

The court noted that the personnel of the Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force, Railway Protection Force and Sashastra Seema Bal were aggrieved over non grant of 'equal pay for equal work', a benefit, granted to organised services.

The court was hearing a batch of special leave petitions filed by the Union government and the Indian Police Services Central Association, among others, challenging a decision of the Delhi HC of December 4, 2012.

They contended the High Court could not have created Organized Group ‘A’ Services on the basis of "certain notes, correspondences and the letters" issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), as it is only for the Home Department which has the authority over it.

In order to consider a batch of petitions, the court decided to frame issues including if by virtue of issuing the office memorandum by the DoPT classifying the categories with regard to centralized Group ‘A’ Services, as a natural corollary, the other police organisations can have the similar benefits with the Organized Group ‘A’ Services.

Among others, the court decided to consider whether the Home Department alone was responsible to take the decision or other departments can confer the benefit of equivalence subject to approval by the Cabinet.

The court posted the matter for consideration on August 9. It also sought to know duties performed by different police organisations and job allocation to decide the issues.

During the hearing, Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar said if the officers of central police organisations were declared as Organized Group ‘A’ Services then there cannot be any deputation from the Indian Police Service cadre and no one from there can come on deputation and it is likely to give parallel hand system within the force establishment.