Himachal: High Court seeks explanation from government for not implementing new higher pay scale.

December 6, 2025

The Himachal Pradesh High Court heard a case regarding the non-payment of salaries to employees regularised in the post of Labour Welfare Officer according to their new pay scale. The petitioners alleged that despite regularisation, they are still receiving their old contractual salary.

Justice Sandeep Sharma’s court directed the state government to obtain appropriate instructions and provide clarification within a week as to why the new salary has not been released despite regularization, before passing any order in the matter.

The next hearing of the case will be on December 15.
The next hearing of the case will be on December 15. The petitioners were initially appointed on a contract basis to the post of Labour Welfare Officer, Class-II (Gazetted). They were receiving a fixed contractual remuneration of 60 percent of the first cell of Level-16, i.e., ₹29,220 per month, as per the Himachal Pradesh Civil Services (Revised Pay) Rules, 2022.

On July 7, 2025, their services were regularised in the pay band of ₹10,300-34,800 with a grade pay of ₹5,000, which is equivalent to the pay matrix of Level-16.

The employees claim that despite regularization, they are still being paid the old contractual salary of ₹29,220.

The State High Court has issued a notice to the state government on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed regarding the alleged violation of prescribed norms concerning the distance of stone crushers from rural populations. The court has sought a response from the state government on the criteria for the distance of stone crushers from rural settlements.

The petition states that a stone crusher is proposed to be established in Galod, Hamirpur, which violates the norms stipulated in the notification dated June 29, 2021, regarding the distance from the village population. The petitioner has questioned the consent granted based on the Site Appraisal Committee’s report dated September 27, 2024, the date from which the registration was granted.

A division bench of Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Jia Lal Bhardwaj directed the issuance of notices to the private respondents. The court has asked for a reply within four weeks. The next hearing in the case will be on February 23, 2026.