In a notable judgment, the Rajasthan High Court provided relief to a retired government lecturer who was denied a selection scale benefit solely because he did not sign his application form—despite filling it correctly and being otherwise eligible.
The petitioner, Satyaveer Singh, had served in the Department of Secondary Education, Rajasthan, and retired from the post of Junior Agriculture Teacher. Before his retirement, he faced disciplinary action, resulting in a 10% pension deduction for ten years under an order dated 18.05.2022.
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His counsel argued that Singh had completed the required years of service for the selection grade under the Assured Career Progression (ACP) scheme and had duly filled and submitted the application form. The only issue cited by the department was the absence of his signature on the form, although it was submitted with accurate details and forwarded with a recommendation from the competent authority.
Quoting the judgment, Justice Vinit Kumar Mathur stated:
"Merely because, non-affixing his signatures on the application form cannot be a ground to deny benefit of grant of selection scale to the petitioner, if the details filled in the application form are correct and the petitioner is otherwise eligible for grant of selection scale."
The State’s counsel admitted that although the petitioner was punished during service, it could not be used as a reason to deny him the benefit of the selection scale.
The Court further emphasized:
“Not affixing signatures by the petitioner on his application form for grant of selection scale cannot be the reason to deny selection scale... The punishment awarded cannot be a ground to deny selection scale to the petitioner when it became due.”
Taking into account the petitioner’s eligibility and the factual submission of the form, the Court ruled in his favor.
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The High Court allowed the writ petition and ordered the respondents to grant the selection scale from the date it became due. The order must be implemented within six weeks of receiving a certified copy.
This decision underscores the importance of substantive eligibility over procedural lapses and affirms the principle of fairness in administrative decisions.
Title: Satyaveer Singh v the State of Rajasthan & Ors.
