Revise pay, pension benefits of retd HMs as per 2009 order: HC

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the School Education department to fix the pay benefits and to revise the pensionary benefits of two retired elementary school headmasters, considering their services as secondary grade assistant and elementary school headmaster, as was authorised by the government through an order in 2009.

Justice MS Ramesh passed the orders on allowing two petitions by S Radhamani and M Mahadevan, former elementary school headmasters.

The petitioners sought direction to the school education department to award a special grade scale of pay in the post of BT Graduate Middle School Headmaster, by counting their lower-grade secondary grade assistant service and elementary school headmaster services rendered by them in accordance with GO dated August 14, 2009.

The petitioners sought relief stating that as per the fifth pay commission’s suggestion, 65 graduate school headmasters approached the Tamil Nadu Administrative Tribunal (Tribunal) and it passed orders in favour of the graduate school headmasters directing the government to award a grant of special grade and fixation of pay, by counting their services rendered prior to June 1, 1988 in the post of secondary grade teachers and middle school headmasters.

The petitioners further sought such orders as were authorised by the State through the 2009 GO.

Recording the submissions, the judge pointed out the verdicts of Madras HC in 2019 and ordered the respondents and fix the petitioners’ pay in selection grade / special grade in the post of the middle school headmaster, by counting the service rendered as secondary grade teacher/primary school headmaster/elementary school headmaster, from the date of their promotion to the post of middle school headmaster with all monetary benefits and the pensionary benefits with arrears.