Rajendra Eknath Khirsagar And ORS v. The State Of Maharashtra Throu. The Sec. Education Dept And ORS
TRUPTI SADANAND BAMNE TRUPTI SADANAND BAMNE Date: 2024.12.02 15:02:47 +0530 Trupti 1 910 -wp-17166-2024.odt
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION WRIT PETITION NO. 17166 OF 2024 1.
Rajendra Eknath Khirsagar Age- about 58 years, Occu- retired, Residing at post , Goradwadi Tal- MalshirasDist- Solapur.
2.
Raju Jagganath Ghadge Age-about 59years ,Occu- retired, Residing at post Velapur, Tal- Malshiras,Dist- Solapur.
3.
Vasant Kashinath Kakade Age-about 65years ,Occu- retired, Residing at post Mohol, Tal- Malshiras Dist- Solapur.
4.
Anand Ramchandra Kachare Age-about 59 years, Occu- retired, Residing at post Velapur, Tal- Malshiras Dist- Solapur.
5.
Abdulrahim Yashin Sayyad Age- about 59 years, Occu- retired, Residing at post Piliv, Tal- Malshiras Dist- Solapur.
6.
Ruksana Mahamud Mulani Age-about 60 years, Occu- retired, Residing at post Malshiras, Tal- Malshiras Dist- Solapur.
7.
Baidabai Eknath Chavan Age-about 60 years, Occu- retired, Residing at post Velapur, Tal- Malshiras,Dist- Solapur.
8.
Ramkrushna Shankar Gurav Age-about 59 years, Occu- retired, Residing at post Mahalung Tal- Malshiras,Dist- Solapur.
Trupti 2 910 -wp-17166-2024.odt
9. Ramesh Bhimrao Waghmare Age- about 59 years, Occu- retired, Residing at post Vilapur, Tal- Malshiras ,Dist- Solapur.
10. Mandadevi Sambhaji Talekar Age-about 63 years, Occu- retired, Residing at post Lawang, Tal- MalshirasDist- Solapur.
11. Mohan Gangadhar Ingole Age-about 59 years, Occu- retired, Residing at post Akluj, Tal- Malshiras, Dist- Solapur.
12. Dnynoba Khetri Maske Age-about 59 years, Occu- retired, Residing at post Akluj, Tal- Malshiras, Dist- Solapur.
13. Jaggushing Kharagshing Rajput Age- about 58 years, Occu- retired, Residing at Piliv, Tal- Malshiras Dist- Solapur.
14. Suresh Dashrath Gaikwad Age-60years ,Occu- retired, Residing at post Shindewadi Tal- Malshiras,Dist- Solapur.
15. Vilas Hari Shinde Age- about 58years ,Occu- retired, Residing at Malinagar, Tal- Malshiras Dist- Solapur.
16. Sunil Arjun Karale Age-about years, Occu- retired, Residing at Natepute Tal- Malshiras, Dist- Solapur.
17. Rajendra Nivrutti Jadhav Age- about 59 years, Occu- retired, Residing at Maloli, Tal- Malshiras Dist- Solapur.
18. Inshad Sardar Shaikh Age- about 59 years, Occu- retired Residing at post Yashwantnagar Malshiras Tal- Sangola, Dist- Solapur.
Trupti 3 910 -wp-17166-2024.odt 19.
Vimal Dattatray Dhope Age-about 59 years, Occu- retired, Residing at Sadashivnagar, Tal- Malshiras, Dist- Solapur.
20.
Pandhari Dnyanu Lengare Age- about 59 years, Occu- retired, Residing at post-Piliv, Tal- Malshiras, Dist- Solapur.
21.
Alka Balkrushna Khilare Age-about 59 years, Occu- retired, Residing at post Natepute, Tal- Malshiras Dist- Solapur.
22.
Sangita Shrikrushna Mhetre Age- about 59 years, Occu- retired, Residing at post Pune, Tal- Pune, Dist- Pune.
23.
Lata Madhusudan Kathwate Age-about 60years ,Occu- retired, Residing at post Velapur, Tal- Malshiras, Dist- Solapur.
24.
Babasaheb Ananda Patil Age-about 52 years, Occu- retired, Residing at post Ledve Chinchle, Mangalwedha Tal- Malshiras,Dist- Solapur.
25.
Nanasaheb Bhagwan Nakate Age-about 62 yrs, Occu- retired, Residing at post Akola Vasud, Tal- Sangola, Dist- Solapur.
26.
Bebinanda Dagadu Pawar Age-60 yrs, Occu- Retired, Residing at post Marawade, Mangalwedha. Tal- Malshiras Dist- Solapur.
27.
Surekha Prakash Bagade Age-60 yrs, Occu- retired, Residing at post Borgaon Tal- TasgaonDist- Sangli.
Trupti 4 910 -wp-17166-2024.odt 28.
Vishnu Sadhu Bodake Age-60 yrs, Occu- retired, Residing at post Angar Mohol, Tal- Malshiras, Dist- Solapur.
29.
Mahadev Balbhim Chavan Age-60yers, Occu- retired Residing at post Angar Tal- Malshiras, Dist- Solapur.
30.
Balkrushna Narayan Narkhedkar Age-about 63yrs ,Occu- retired Residing at post Mohol, Tal- Malshiras, Dist- Solapur.
31.
Rajendra Pandurang Musale Age -about 63 years, Occu- Retired Residing at post -Waphale Tal- Malshiras, Dist- Solapur 32.
Suryakant Somnath Dikole Age-about 63yrs, Occu- retired, Residing at post Angar Mohol, Tal- Malshiras, Dist- Solapur.
33.
Chandrakant Rama Karade Age-63 yrs, Occu- retired Residing at post- Yavli Mohol Tal- Malshiras, Dist- Solapur.
34.
Bhimrao Bhau Mane Age- about 63yrs, Occu- retired Residing at post-Dokewadi Mohol, Tal- Malshiras Dist- Solapur.
35.
Bharat Rajendra Hembade Age- about 63yrs, Occu- retired Residing at post Mangalwedha Tal- Malshiras Dist- Solapur 36.
Hanumant Narayan Chavan Age- about 62yrs, Occu- retired Residing at post Narkhed, Mohol Dist- Solapur
Trupti 5 910 -wp-17166-2024.odt 37.
Annasaheb Sadashiv Phalake Age- about 59yrs, Occu- retired Residing at post Ekaptpur, Tal- Sangola, Dist- Solapur.
38.
Dattatray Bhagwan Dhainje Age- about 59yrs, Occu- retired Residing at post Sangramnagar, Tal- Malshiras Dist- Solapur 39.
Ranjana Devidas Teke Age- about 60yrs, Occu- retired Residing at post Natepute, Tal- Malshiras, Dist- Solapur.
40.
Avinash Namdev Satpute Age- about 59yrs, Occu- Retired Residing at post- Piliv Tal Malshiras, Dist- Solapur.
41.
Sikandar Mahamud Mujawar Age- about 59yrs, Occu- Retired Residing at post -Piliv, Tal- Malshiras Dist- Solapur.
42.
Vishnu Jaywant Shinde Age- about 63 yrs, Occu- retired Residing at post Palsmanadal Tal- Malshiras Dist- Solapur 43.
Shrimant Kondiba Gund Age- about 64yrs, Occu- retired Residing at post-Akluj Tal- Malshiras, Dist- Solapur 44.
Parshuram Somnath Jadhav Age- about 60yrs, Occu- retired, Residing at post Khandobachiwadi Mohol Tal- Malshiras, Dist- Solapur 45.
Tukaram Revanshiddha Nigadi Age - About 60 years, Occu- Retired, Hulijanti Mangalwedha, Tal- Malshiras, Dist- Solapur
Trupti 6 910 -wp-17166-2024.odt 46.
Bhausaheb Dattatray Kulkarni Age- about 62yrs, Occu- retired Residing at post Bembale Madha, , Tal- Malshiras, Dist- Solapur 47.
Bhagyashri Pradipkumar Uplekar Age- about 62yrs, Occu- retired Residing at post Sainagar Barshi, Tal- Malshiras Dist- Solapur.
48.
Pradipkumar Vasant Uplekar Age- 59 Years, Occu- Retired R/A Sainagar Barshi Tal- Malshiras , District- Solapur 49.
Krushna Hambirrao Ghavane Age- Years, Occu- Retired R/A Sainagar Barshi Tal- Malshiras , District- Solapur 50.
Hanif Abdulrahim Mulla Age-60 Years, Occu- Retired R/A Madha Tal- Malshiras , District- Solapur 51.
Arun Dnyandev Kondgar Age-63 Years, Occu- Retired R/A Akluj Tal- Malshiras , District- Solapur 52.
Sushma Maruti Yadav Age-61 Years, Occu- Retired R/A Paniv Tal- Malshiras , District- Solapur 53.
Latika Mohan Shelake Age-61 Years, Occu- Retired R/A Motewadi Tal- Malshiras , District- Solapur 54.
Mahadev Trimbak Navale Age-63 Years, Occu- Retired R/A Anangnagar Tal- Malshiras , District- Solapur
Trupti 7 910 -wp-17166-2024.odt 55.
Vidhya Mahadev Navale Age-59 Years, Occu- Retired R/A Malewadi Tal- Malshiras , District- Solapur 56.
Vilas Jyoti Magar Age-59 Years, Occu- Retired R/A Akluj Muli 3 Tal- Malshiras , District- Solapur 57.
Sangita Raghunath Patole Age-59 Years, Occu- Retired R/A Borgaon Malewadi Tal- Malshiras , District- Solapur 58.
Vimal Govind Bhosale Age-59 Years, Occu- Retired R/A Anadnagar Tal- Malshiras , District- Solapur 59.
Vijay Bajrang Kumbhar Age-60 Years, Occu- Retired R/A Kuranwadi Angar Tal- Malshiras , District- Solapur 60.
Balbhim Sambhaji Konhere Age-58 Years, Occu- Retired R/A Jambhud Tal- Malshiras , District- Solapur 61.
Sushma Prakash Dalavi Age-44 Years, Occu- Retired R/A Palve Wasti Tal- Malshiras , District- Solapur 62.
Bapurao Khode Age-44 Years, Occu- Retired R/A Manewasti Kondbavi Tal- Malshiras , District- Solapur 63.
Kalyan Bajrang Naste Age-65 Years, Occu- Retired R/A Chandapuri Tal- Malshiras , District- Solapur
Trupti 8 910 -wp-17166-2024.odt 64.
Arun Govind Javale Age-63 Years, Occu- Retired R/A Marwade Muli Tal- Malshiras , District- Solapur
...Petitioners
V/S 1.
The State of Maharashtra Through The Secretary, Education Department Mantralaya (Notice to be served on Government Pleader, High Court, Appellate Side, Mumbai.
2.
Deputy Director of Education (Primary) Division Pune, Pune-1 3.
Chief Executive Officer Zilla Parishad, Solapur, Dist- Solapur 4.
The Education Officer (primary) Zilla Parishad, Solapur, Dist Solapur 5.
The Deputy Chief Accountant and Finance officer Solapur, Zilla Parishad Solapur Dist- Solapur.
...Respondents
....
Mr.Satish Raut for the Petitioners.
Mr.V.M.Mali, AGP for the Respondent -State.
Mr.Anand Kulkarni for Respondent Nos. 3 and 4-Zilla Parishad. ....
CORAM : RAVINDRA V. GHUGE & ASHWIN D. BHOBE, JJ.
DATE : 27TH NOVEMBER, 2024 ORAL JUDGMENT (Per Ravindra V. Ghuge, J.) 1.
In this matter, the Petitioners claim to be identically placed. The learned Advocate representing the Zilla Parishad, agrees.
Trupti 9 910 -wp-17166-2024.odt 2.
Amongst these Petitioners, there are some widows who have filed the Petitions. All the original employees were working with the respective Zilla Parishads and superannuated from employment. All of them were subjected to recovery of amounts, purportedly for the reason that excess amounts were paid to them, under wrongful revised pay scales/erroneous revised pay scales on the basis of acquiring the certificate of MS-CIT etc. These pay scales were revised more than a decade ago.
3.
The grievance of these Petitioners is that recoveries have been initiated against them, from their retiral benefits/pensionary benefits. In some cases, amounts have already been recovered. A chart showing the details of the Petitioners, their dates of superannuation, dates of impugned orders and amounts recovered from their retiral benefits/pensionary benefits, are as under:
Sr.
No Retired Teacher's Name Amount Of Recovery (In Rupees) Retired Date Z.P. School Date Of Impugned Order Rajendra Eknath Kshirsagar 41967 31/05/2024 Vatpali 06/11/2024 Raju Jagganath Ghadge 45809 31/05/2023 Pisewadi, Velapur 09/12/2023 Vasant Kashinath Kakade 24078 31/05/2028 Sarole, Mohol 03/08/2018 Anand Ramchandra Kachare 61319 31/05/2024 Bondale 08/10/2024 Abdulrahim Yashin Sayyad 44041 31/05/2023 Garwad 09/07/2023 Ruksana Mahamud Mulani 49187 28/02/2023 Prandawade 10/03/2023
Trupti 10 910 -wp-17166-2024.odt Baidabai Eknath Chavan 37264 31/05/2022 Dombasewas ti 01/09/2023 Ramkrushna Shankar Gurav 58978 31/05/2024 Mule No. 2 Akluj 06/10/2024 Ramesh Bhimrao Waghmare 183646 31/05/2024 Velapur (Mule) 30/07/2024 Mandadevi Sambhaji Talekar 56010 30/06/2019 Mule No. 3 Akluj 24/10/2019 Mohan Gangadhar Ingole 53092 31/08/2023 Mule No.
Trupti 11 910 -wp-17166-2024.
odt Annasaheb Sadashiv Phalake 305030 31/05/2024 Purandawade 13/08/2024 Dattatray Bhagwan Dhainje 58978 31/05/2024 Dharmapuri 06/11/2024 Ranjana Devidas Teke 31/05/2017 ZP School Natepute 19/05/2017 Avinash Namdev Satpute 45809 31/05/2024 Piliv 06/11/2024 Sikandar Mahamud Mujawar 43612 31/05/2023 Garwad 24/09/2023 Vishnu Jaywant Shinde 46707 31/05/2023 Patilwasti 27/09/2023 Shiramnt Kondiba Gund 31/05/2024 Akluj 20/06/2017 Parshuram Somnath Jadhav 50604 31/05/2015 Tambole 04/02/2016 Tukaram Revanshiddha Nigadi 72597 31/05/2019 Huljanti 04/01/2020 Bhausaheb Dattatray Kulkarni 25523 31/05/2017 Madha 14/07/2017 Bhagyashri Pradipkumar Uplekar 31/05/2017 Barshi 26/05/2020 Pradipkumar Vasant Uplekar 41687 31/07/2018 Barshi 10/09/2018 Krushna Hambirrao Ghavane 49722 30/04/2019 Kurduwadi 14/05/2019 Hanif Abdulrahim Mulla 27110 30/05/2018 Madha 09/08/2018 Arun Dnyandev Kondgar 60124 31/05/2024 Akluj 06/10/2024 Sushma Maruti Yadav 46276 31/05/2023 Paniv 19/02/2024 Latika Mohan Shelake 76437 03/12/2022 Motewadi 21/09/2023 Mahadev Trimbak Navale 36413 30/11/2018 Anandnagar 07/01/2019 Vidhya Mahadev Navale 44441 31/05/2022 Malewadi 07/11/2023 Vilas Jyoti Magar 44041 31/05/2024 Akluj Muli 3 11/06/2024 Sangita Raghunath Patole 45809 31/05/2024 Borgaon, Malewadi 06/11/2024 Vimal Govind Bhosale 87907 01/04/2024 Anandnagar 21/05/2024 Vijay Bajrang Kumbhar 59401 31/05/2022 Kuranwadi, Angar 21/05/2022 Balbhim Sambhaji Konhere 44933 31/05/2024 Jambhud 06/11/2024 Ganesh Vitthal Ubale (late) Sushma Prakash Dalavi 34406 24/10/2021 Palve Wasti 01/04/2022 Jyoti Bapurao Khode 83933 08/05/2021 Manewasti Kondbavi 26/10/2021 Kalyan Bajrang Naste 31/05/2022 Chandapuri 30/05/2017 Arun Govind Javale 58983 31/05/2019 Marawade Muli 03/01/2020 4.
We have considered the strenuous submissions of the learned Advocates. It is, however, undisputed that none of these
Trupti 12 910 -wp-17166-2024.odt Petitioners had played any fraud or were personally involved in wrongful revision of their pay scales or orchestrating wrongful revision by manipulating the record. There is no allegation of fraud or deceit against any of them. No undertaking was acquired from them as and when the revised pay scales become payable. In some cases, at the stroke of retirement, a condition was imposed that they should execute an undertaking and it is in these coercive circumstances, that undertakings were extracted from some of them.
5.
The learned Advocate representing the Zilla Parishad as well as the learned A.G.P., submit that once an undertaking is executed, the case of the Petitioners would be covered by the law laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in High Court of Punjab and Haryana and others vs. Jagdev Singh, 2016 AIR (SCW) 3523. Reliance is placed on the judgment delivered by this Court on 1st September, 2021, in Writ Petition No. 13262 of 2018 filed by Ananda Vikram Baviskar Vs. State of Maharashtra and others.
6.
We have referred to the law laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in High Court of Punjab and Haryana and others vs. Jagdev Singh (supra). However, the record reveals that no undertaking was taken from these Petitioners when the pay scales were revised. The
Trupti 13 910 -wp-17166-2024.odt undertakings from some of them were taken at the stroke of their retirement. An undertaking has to be taken from the candidate on the day the revised pay scale is made applicable to him and the payment commences. At the stroke of superannuation of the said employee, asking him to tender an undertaking, practically amounts to an afterthought on the part of the employer and a mode of compelling the candidate to execute an undertaking since they are apprehensive that their retiral benefits would not be released until such undertaking is executed. Such an undertaking will not have the same sanctity of an undertaking executed when the payment of revised pay scale had commenced. We, therefore, respectfully conclude that the view taken in High Court of Punjab and Haryana and others vs. Jagdev Singh (supra), would not be applicable to the case of these Petitioners, more so, since the recovery is initiated after their superannuation. 7.
Taking into account that these Petitioners were not involved in any mischief, fraud or deceit in orchestrating their wrongful pay revision, the law laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Syed Abdul Qadir vs. State of Bihar and others, 2009 (3) SCC 475 and State of Punjab and other vs. Rafiq Masih (White Washer) etc. (2015) 4 SCC 334 = AIR 2015 SC 696, would apply to these cases.
Trupti 14 910 -wp-17166-2024.odt 8.
As such, this Writ Petition is allowed.
9.
The impugned orders are quashed and set aside. The amounts due and payable to the Petitioners, as well as to the widows, as the case may be, after the superannuation of the said employees/ death of the employees, would be paid to these Petitioners/widows, within a period of 90 days along with admissible interest as per Rules, to be paid together.
(ASHWIN D. BHOBE,J.) ( RAVINDRA V. GHUGE, J.)