Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has authorised a higher grade pay of ₹5,150–8,300 for five Draftsmen working in the Public Works (Roads and Buildings) Department, bringing the long-running service matter to implementation after successive judicial decisions.
The financial and service benefit will apply from the respective dates on which the five employees were first appointed, according to a government order issued by the Public Works (R&B) Department on October 28, 2026. The order follows the department's unsuccessful attempt to challenge the relief granted to the employees before the Supreme Court.
The beneficiaries are Hilal Ahmad Wani of Qazipora in Bandipora; Gh Nabi Dar and Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat of Noorpora in Tral, Pulwama; and Tariq Rasool Bhat and Zaffar Rasool Bhat of Aragam in Bandipora.
Benefit confined to five petitioners
The government has specifically limited the implementation to the five petitioners. This condition was conveyed by the Finance Department while agreeing to give effect to the judicial directions, and the department was instructed to issue the necessary orders after approval by the competent authority.
- Department: Public Works (Roads and Buildings)
- Employees covered: Five Draftsmen
- Approved grade pay: ₹5,150–8,300
- Effective date: Individual dates of initial appointment
- Scope: Restricted to the five petitioners
The dispute arose from a claim pursued through the Central Administrative Tribunal. The Tribunal, in an order dated October 3, 2023, granted the employees the benefit. The Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh High Court later upheld that decision in its judgment of August 14, 2025.
Rather than implementing the rulings immediately, the department approached the Supreme Court in the matter styled as UT of J&K and others versus Hilal Ahmad Wani and others. The department's Special Leave Petition was dismissed by the apex court in an order dated April 27, 2026.
Administrative review preceded implementation
The Supreme Court condoned the delay involved in the petition but declined to exercise its discretionary jurisdiction under Article 136 of the Constitution. With that challenge unsuccessful, the issue was sent through the administrative channels dealing with finance and legal advice before the government issued the implementation order.
The Finance Department, on July 15, 2026, advised the Public Works Department to obtain the Law Department's opinion on whether a review petition could be filed. The Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs examined the issue and, in its communication of September 1, 2026, advised against pursuing such a review.
Instead, the Law Department recommended that the directions already issued by the Tribunal and upheld by the High Court be carried out. The Finance Department subsequently conveyed its agreement on October 8, 2026 to implement the Tribunal's order, taking into account the High Court judgment and the Supreme Court's later order.
The sequence reflects the distinction between a judicial determination and its administrative execution. While the employees had secured orders in their favour at three judicial stages, the final government action required consideration by the Finance Department, legal advice and approval from the competent authority.
Effect of the government order
By approving the higher grade pay from each employee's initial appointment date, the order settles the service benefit for the five named Draftsmen within the limits specified by the Finance Department. The available details do not indicate that the decision has been extended to other employees or that it creates a general benefit for all Draftsmen in the Union Territory.
The case also underlines the importance of precise implementation after court proceedings involving government departments. The Finance Department's condition that the benefit remain restricted to the petitioners means the order is tied to the litigation and the directions arising from it, rather than being presented as a broader revision of the cadre's service conditions.
The latest order therefore marks the administrative conclusion of a matter that began with the employees' claim before the Central Administrative Tribunal and continued through the High Court and the Supreme Court. For the five Draftsmen named in the decision, the sanctioned grade pay is now to be applied in accordance with their individual initial appointment dates.
