Govt moves SC against AFT pay parity order

Tribune News Service

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Chandigarh, April 21

The Centre has moved the Supreme Court against the judgment of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) that had granted non-functional upgrade (NFU) to all armed forces officers on similar lines as it was implemented for civil services in connection with the Sixth Pay Commission.

The government is taking the plea that the AFT does not have the jurisdiction to decide such matters and that the armed forces are not categorised as Group-A services, to which NFU is applicable, sources said.

NFU, which entitles IAS officers and other Group-A officers to get pay scale of the highest promoted officer of their batch two years hence even if they were not promoted, was also not extended to members of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) under the Home Ministry.

The Delhi HC granted NFU to CAPF personnel, but the order was also challenged by the government in the SC where it is pending. The government is also of the view that a parallel cannot be drawn between the Armed Forces and CAPFs as their service conditions are different.

In December 2016, the AFT’s principal bench comprising Justice BP Katakey and Lt Gen Sanjiv Langer had held that the armed forces fulfilled all six parameters laid out by the government to categorise Group-A services.