D.G.O.F. Employees Association And ANR. v. Shri Giridhar Aramane And ORS

$~3 and 5 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI + CONT.CAS(C) 1091/2024 and CM APPLs.53512/2024, 63297/2024, 59539/2025 (3) D.G.O.F. EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION AND ANR......Petitioners versus SHRI GIRIDHAR ARAMANE AND ORS .....Respondents + CONT.CAS(C) 31/2025 and CM APPL.59608/2025 (5) ALL INDIA ORDNANCE FACTORIES SCHEDULED CASTES AND SCHEDULED TRIBES EMPLOYEES WELFARE ASSOCIATION AND ORS .....Petitioners versus SHRI SANJEEV KUMAR IAS .....Respondent Through:

Presence:

Ms. Kiran Suri, Sr. Adv., Ms. Aishwarya Kumar and Ms. Laxmi, Advs. for petitioner in item nos.3 and 5.

Mr. M.C. Dhingra, Sr. Adv., Mr. Tashriq Ahmad, Ms. Farzeen Iqbal, Mr. Gaurav Dhingra and Mr. Shashank Singh, Advs. for impleading applicant in CM-63297/2024.

Mr. C.A. Brijesh, Mr. Ritwik Sharma and Mr. Ishith Arora, Advs. for Sharad Mehra in item nos.3 and 5.

Ms. Manisha Agarwal Narain, CGSC, Mr. Siddhant Soni, Mr. Nipun Jain, Ms. Dimpi Vaid, Mr. Rishabh Dev, Advs. along with Mr. Abhijit Deb, Mr. S. N. Saha, Mr. Ashish Paul from Directorate of Ordinance. Mr. Rajkumar Maurya, GP in item no.5.

CORAM:

HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SACHIN DATTA % 30.03.2026

O R D E R

1.

Learned senior counsel for the petitioners submits that the directions contained in the judgment/ order dated 14.10.2014 in W.P.(C) 4606/2013 stand substantially complied with, except in so far as grant of consequential The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.

benefits is concerned.

2.

Paragraph-26 of the said judgment / order reads as under: "26. The petitioners were treated historically as equals to CSS/CSSS employees and enjoyed equal pay and all benefits flowing from equal pay. This was based on the previous four instances of determinations by successive Pay Commissions that they performed equal work. No other evidence of "complete identity" of work was necessary in the circumstances of the case. The materials on the record do show that the Sixth CPC stated in more than one place specifically that historical parity in pay scales ought not to be disturbed. Such being the case, this Court is of the opinion that the CAT fell into error in holding that differentiation was facially justified, and could not be gone into given the nature of restricted judicial review.

Consequently, a direction is issued to the respondents to fix the members of the Petitioner Association and other similarly placed Assistants working in Ordnance Factories and in OFB in the same pay scale as was given to Assistants similarly placed in CSS/CSSS, Army Headquarters, UPSC, CAT, MEA, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, etc. with effect from the same date as was first given to them. Consequential pay fixation and fitment orders shall be issued within eight weeks from today. The writ petition is allowed in the above terms without any order as to costs." 3.

Learned senior counsel for the petitioners submits that the respondent, while correctly fixing the initial pay, did not grant the consequential pay fixation and fitment benefits in full, at par with CSS / CSSS, Armed Forces Headquarters, Railway Board and other similarly placed employees having historical parity with CSS / CSSS.

4.

As such, it is contended that the respondents have only partially complied with the aforesaid judgment.

5.

There is merit in the contention advanced by the petitioner that, in terms of the directions contained in paragraph-26 of the judgment dated 14.10.2014, the pay scale of Assistants/ Personal Assistants working in Ordnance Factories and the OFB is required to be fixed at par with that of The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.

similarly placed Assistants in CSS/ CSSS, AFHQ (Army Headquarters), the Railway Board, etc., along with all consequential benefits of pay fixation and fitment. Consequently, once such parity in pay scale was directed to be granted together with all attendant benefits, the same is required to be maintained and continued throughout the course of service. 6.

The infirmity / deficiency in the manner in which consequential benefits have been given has been brought out in a tabular form by the petitioner as under:

The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.

7.

In the circumstances, the respondents are directed to re-fix the pay of the petitioners to ensure that there is parity, in the manner brought out in the above table.

8.

Let necessary compliance be done as expeditiously as possible, and preferably within a period of eight weeks from today. 9.

The petitions are disposed of in the above terms. 10.

List for reporting compliance on 06.08.2026.

SACHIN DATTA, J MARCH 30, 2026/cl The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.