SONU KUMAR & ANR. vs SECRETARY GENERAL LOK SABHA SECRETARIAT & ANR.

Judgment text excerpt

$~5 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI % Decided on: 19.03.2025 + W.P.(C) 2161/2025 & CM APPLs. 10159/2025, 15828/2025 SONU KUMAR & ANR. .....Petitioners Through: Mr. Prakash Khandelwal, Advocate. versus SECRETARY GENERAL LOK SABHA SECRETARIAT .....Respondent Through: Mr. Pramod Gupta, Ms. Deepakshi Bhalla, Advocates. CORAM: HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE PRATEEK JALAN PRATEEK JALAN, J. (ORAL) 1. The petitioners were appointed to the post of Printer in the respondent- Lok Sabha Secretariat, in the year 2014. They have filed this writ petition seeking a direction upon the respondent- Lok Sabha Secretariat to upgrade the post of Printer [Grade Pay- Rs.2800] to the post of Lithographic Operator [Grade Pay- Rs.4200] w.e.f. 01.01.2016. They claim parity with the post of Proof Reader. 2. It may be noted that the petitioners were promoted to the post of Lithographic Operator on 23.09.2019, but seek upgradation of their original post w.e.f. 01.01.2016. 3. I have heard Mr. Prakash Khandelwal, learned counsel for the Signature Not Verified Digitally Signed W.P.(C) 2161/2025 Page 1 of 8 By:SOMYA SATIJA Signing Date:22.03.2025 19:49:54 petitioners, and Mr. Pramod Gupta, learned counsel for the respondent. 4. The genesis of the petitioners’ grievance arises from a report of the Parliamentary Pay Committee [“PPC”] dated 19.12.2018, by which the post of Junior Proof Reader [Grade Pay - Rs.2800] was merged with Proof Reader [Grade Pay - Rs.4200], but a similar proposal in respect of the post of Printer was rejected. 5. The petitioners have placed on record an Organization Chart of the Printing and Publication Service of the Lok Sabha Secretariat, which compares the position, as it existed prior to the said PPC report, with the position, existing after the said report. 6. Prior to the PPC r