The Chhattisgarh High Court has drawn a clear line between Panchayat-appointed Shiksha Karmis and regular government teachers. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal dismissed an intra-court appeal filed by Shiksha Karmis seeking the benefit of Kramonnati Vetanman- a time-bound pay scale granted to government employees after 10 and 20 years of service. The appellants argued: if they have served for decades, why should they be denied the same financial progression as other teachers? The court, however, saw things differently. It noted that the appellants were initially appointed under the Panchayat Department and governed by the Chhattisgarh Panchayat Shiksha Karmi Rules, 2007 not the School Education Department.

 

Even though their services were later absorbed into the Education Department, could their earlier service be treated as equivalent? The Bench rejected this notion. The case of Sona Sahu was cited by the counsel of appellants during the argument to take the stand of parity. The court clarified that her situation was entirely different she was directly appointed as a government teacher. The ruling emphasizes a key legal principle: parity applies only when employees are similarly situated in all material respects. Since Shiksha Karmis and government teachers differ in appointment, service rules, and status, equal benefits cannot be claimed. With this, the High Court upheld the earlier decision of the Single Judge and dismissed the appeal. But the larger question remains will this verdict finally put an end to similar claims, or is the debate far from over?