Photo Courtesy: tripuratimes
Agartala: The High Court of Tripura blocked a pay raise for junior draftsmen. A division bench of Justice T Amarnath Goud and Justice S Datta Purkayastha sided with the state government. They tossed out a single-judge order from February 27, 2025, in WP(C) No. 637 of 2023.
That earlier order had told the state to bump up pay for PWD employees and provide back benefits. The high court judges disagreed. They ruled the workers, hired as Draftsman Grade III under 1982 rules, did not earn the right to the Rs 1,450-3,710 pay scale found in 1988 revisions.
The court clarified that Junior Draftsmen belong in the Rs 1,300-3,220 scale. Higher pay belongs to Draftsman Grade II, now known simply as Draftsman. A Finance Department memo from April 28, 1990, confirmed this stance. The court stated, "matters relating to service structure, pay scales, cadre classification and promotional avenues fall within the policy domain of the government."
The bench denied claims that draftsmen should match the pay of surveyors. These cadres have different duties and recruitment rules. The government reserves the right to set its own policies on pay and promotion.
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