2021 INSC 0651
REPORTABLE
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
Special Leave Petition (C) No.21660­21661 of 2019
Keraleeya Samajam & Anr.            ..Petitioner(S)
VERSUS
Pratibha Dattatray Kulkarni (Dead) 
through LRs & Ors.           ..Respondent(S)
J U D G M E N T
M.R. Shah, J.
1. Feeling   aggrieved   and   dissatisfied   with   the   impugned
judgment   and   order   dated   28.06.2019   in   Writ   Petition   No.5311   of
2011 and Writ Petition  No.5338 of  2000 passed by  the High Court
of   Judicature   at   Bombay,   the   management   has   preferred   the
present special leave petitions. By the impugned common judgment
and   order   the   High   Court   has   declared   that   the   entitlement   of   the
original petitioners is to receive wages in pay scales as per Schedule
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– C to the Maharashtra Employees of Private Schools (Condition of
Service) Regulation Rules, 1981. Thereafter, the Division Bench has
disposed of the said writ petitions issuing a direction to the Deputy
Director   (Education)   to   see   that   the   teachers   working   with   the
petitioners school are received their wages and salaries accordingly.
The High Court has also not accepted the submissions on behalf of
the petitioner to restrict arrears to three years preceding the filing of
the writ petition. 
2. At the outset, it is required to be noted that in the order dated
21.10.2019,   this   court   recorded   the   submissions   on   behalf   of   the
petitioners   that   the   petitioners   are   ready  to   pay   the  arrears   as   per
6 th
  Pay Commission for the preceding three years prior to the filing
of the writ petition. Thereafter this court passed the following order
on 04.11.2019:­
“Being   aggrieved   by   the   impugned   order   of
the   High   Court   directing   the   petitioners­
Institution to pay the arrears of salary as per the
Fifth and Sixth Pay Commissions to the teaching
and   non­teaching   staff   of   the   second   petitioner­
School (said to be unaided school) the petitioners
have filed these special leave petitions. 
We   have   heard   Mr.   Shekhar   Napahade,
learned   senior   counsel,   assisted   by   Ms.   Bina
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Madhavan,   learned   counsel   appearing   for   the
petitioners   who   has   submitted   that   the
petitioners   are   ready   to   pay   arrears   as   per   the
Sixth   Pay   Commission   for   the   preceding   three
years prior to the filing of the writ petition. 
On   the   above   submission,   the   petitioner   to
file   the   calculation   memo   as   arrears   of   the
amount   payable   to   the   teaching   and   non­
teaching staff. 
Accordingly,   the   petitioners   have   filed
calculation   memo   as   per   which   the   amount
towards   the   salary   for   three   years   preceding   the
filing   of   writ   petition   (Sixth   Pay   Commission),
Rs.1,49,13,459/­ is payable. 
So  far  as  the  total   arrears  towards  Fifth  Pay
Commission   an   amount   of   Rs.1,19,96,967/­   is
payable. Insofar as the Sixth Pay Commission an
amount   of   Rs.5,34,50,719/­   is   stated   to   be   the
arrears   payable.   Thus   the   total   arrear   as   per
Fifth   and   Six   Pay   Commissions   is
Rs.6,54,47,686/­   (Rs.1,19,96,967/­   +
Rs.5,34,50,719/­)   and   out   of   the   said   amount
50% works out to Rs.3,27,23,843/­. 
Mr.   Shekhar   Napahde,   learned   senior
counsel,   has   submitted   that   the   second
petitioner   being   unaided   school   may   not   be   in   a
position   to   deposit   the   entire   amount.
Considering   the   submission   made   at   the   Bar,
there shall be an interim stay of the operation of
the   impugned   order   on   condition   that   the
petitioner   shall   deposit   50%   of   the   total   amount
which   works   out   to   Rs.3,27,23,843/­   within   a
period   of   eight   weeks   failing   which   the   interim
stay granted by this Court shall be automatically
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vacated.   The   deposit   of   the   above   amount   shall
be   without   prejudice   to   the   contention   of   the
petitioners in the matter. 
On   such   deposit,   the   amount   of
Rs.3,27,23,843/­   shall   be   disbursed   to   the
teaching   and   non­teaching   staff   of   the   second
petitioner­school   and   other   employees   who   are
held   entitled   to   get   arrears   as   per   the   orders   of
the High Court. 
Issue notice.”
That thereafter a further order dated 29.01.2020 came to be passed
by this court, which reads as under:­ 
“In   compliance   of   Order   dated   04.11.2019
the   petitioners   ­   Institution   has   deposited   the
amount   of   Rs.3,27,23,843/­   (Rupees   three   crore
twenty   seven   lakhs   twenty   three   thousand   eight
hundred   forty   three)   in   the   Registry   of   the
Supreme   Court.   As   per   the   said   order   the
amount is to be disbursed to the teaching & non­
teaching   staff   and   the   other   employees   of   the
second   petitioner­Model   English   School   who   are
entitled   to   get   the   arrears   as   per   Order   of   the
High Court.
Ms.   Bina   Madhavan,   learned   counsel
appearing   for   the   petitioners   and   Mr.   Akshay
Girish Ringe & Mr. Bhaskar Y. Kulkarni, learned
counsel   appearing   for   the   respondents,   have
agreed   that   the   amount   so   deposited   before   this
Court   be   disbursed   to   the   teaching   &   non­
teaching   staff   and   the   other   employees   of   the
second   petitioner­Model   English   School   through
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Deputy   Director   of   Education,   Education
Department, State of Maharashtra. 
In   view   of   above,   the   Registry   is   directed   to
transmit   the   amount   of   Rs.3,27,23,843/­
(Rupees   three   crore   twenty   seven   lakhs   twenty
three   thousand   eight   hundred   forty   three)   to
Deputy   Director   of   Education,   Education
Department,   State   of   Maharashtra,   either
through RTGS or by Pay Order at the earliest. 
Ms.   Bina   Madhavan,   learned   counsel
appearing   for   the   petitioners­Institution,   shall
furnish   the   details   of   the   bank   account   of   the
Deputy   Director   of   Education,   Education
Department,   State   of   Maharashtra,   to   the
Registry of this Court within a period of two days
from today. 
The Deputy Director of Education, Education
Department, State of Maharashtra, is directed to
identify   the   teaching,   non­teaching   staff   and
other   employees   of   the   second   petitioner­Model
English   School   who   are   entitled   to   receive   the
arrears   as   per   order   of   the   High   Court   and
thereafter   disburse   the   said   amount
proportionately   as  per   arrears  on   proper   receipt.
The   Deputy   Director   of   Education,   Education
Department,   State   of   Maharashtra,   shall
complete the exercise of disbursement of the said
amount within four weeks from today. 
We   make   it   clear   that   the   disbursement   of
the said amount shall be without prejudice to the
contentions   of   the   petitioners   and   the
respondents. Matter  be listed in the last week of
April 2020.”
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3. Therefore   the   entitlement   of   the   teacher’s   salaries   as   per   the
5 th
  and  6 th
  Pay  Commission  to  the  teaching  and non­teaching  staff
of   the   second   petitioner   –   school   is   not   required   to   gone   into   and
only issue which is required to be considered is whether the arrears
ought  to   have   been   restricted  to   three  years   preceding   the   filing   of
the writ petition?
4. Having heard Shri Shekhar Naphade, learned Senior Advocate
appearing   on   behalf   of   the   petitioners   and   learned   counsel
appearing   on   behalf   of   the   respondents   and   considering   orders
passed  in   earlier   round   of   litigations  which   ended   up   to   this   court
the   liability   of   the   management   to   pay   the   salaries   to   the   teaching
and   non­teaching   staff   as   per   the   4 th
  Pay   Commission   and   5 th
  Pay
Commission ended in favour of the teaching and non­teaching staff
working   with   the   petitioners.   Therefore   as   and   when   the   6 th
  Pay
Commission recommendations was made applicable as such it was
the   duty   cast   upon   the   petitioners’   institution   to   pay   the
salary/wages   to   the   teaching   and   non­teaching   staff   as   per   the
applicable   pay   scale   as   per   the   6 th
  Pay   Commission
recommendation   and   for   which   the   staff   was   not   required   to   move
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before the Deputy  Director  (Education) again and again. Therefore,
the   submissions   on   behalf   of   the   petitioners   that   as   the
respondents   approached   the   Deputy   Director   (Education)
subsequently   and   therefore   the   question   with   respect   to   the
limitation will come into play and therefore the respondents shall be
entitled to the arrears of last three years preceding the filing of the
writ petitions cannot be accepted. 
5. The   respondents   were   compelled   to   approach   the   Deputy
Director only when the petitioners though were required to pay the
wages as per the applicable rules and as per the recommendation of
6 th
  Pay   Commission,   failed   to   make   the   payment,   the   respondents
were   compelled   to   approach   the   Deputy   Director   (Education)
thereafter.   Therefore   for   the   lapse   and   inaction   on   the   part   of   the
petitioners, the respondents cannot be made to suffer and deny the
arrears   of   the   salaries   as   per   the   6 th
  Pay   Commission
recommendation,   which   otherwise   they   are   entitled   to.   Every   time
the   teachers   were   not   supposed   to   approach   the   appropriate
authority   for  getting   the  benefit   as  and   when   there  is  a   revision   of
pay as per the pay commission recommendations. 
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In   view   of   the   above   and   for   the   reasons   stated   above   both
these   special   leave   petitions   deserve   to   be   dismissed   and
accordingly dismissed. 
It   is   directed   to   the   petitioners   to   clear   the   arrears   within   a
period of eight weeks from today failing which it shall carry interest
at   9   %.   The   Deputy   Director   (Education),   Nasik   Division   is   hereby
directed   to   see   that   the   present   order   is   complied   with   by   the
petitioners   and   the   amount   is   disbursed   to   the   respective
respondents by account payee cheques.                   
…………………………………J.
                 (M. R. SHAH)
…………………………………J.
        (A. S. BOPANNA)
New Delhi, 
October  1, 2021
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