State government approaches supreme court against the recent high court judgment on payment of full salary to fixed-pay employees

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, February 6, 2026

As anticipated well in advance the state government has approached the supreme court against the recent high court order directing the state government to pay full and regular employees and teachers from the date of their appointment . This has thrown a spanner on the high ,hopes of fixed-pay employees and teachers for regular payscales. Already a special leave petition (SLP) has been filed with the supreme court on behalf of the state government.

A division bench of the high court of Tripura headed by chief justice M.S.Ramchandra Rao passed an order last month on a petition filed on behalf of his clients by advocate Purushottam Roybarman , declaring fixed-pay appointment of teachers and employees against regular posts as illegal and unconstitutional . The bench also directed the state government to start paying regular payscales to the existing fixed-pay employees and teachers in the administration.

Official sources here said that the system of fixed-pay appointments against regular posts had commenced in the year 2001 on the basis of a policy framed by the then ruling left front government and has been in vogue till now mainly because of financial constraints . “Actually the fixed pay appointment for five years and , in some cases, ten years enabled the government to meet a temporary burden of salary and then secure reimbursement of committed liability from the next finance commission but the high court order has put a very heavy and almost unbearable burden for the state government reeling under heavy liabilities of debt and interest payment” said sources.

But speaking on condition of anonymity sources among senior advocates here said that it will be difficult for the state government to obtain an order in its favour and even to have the SLP admitted because already a three member bench of the supreme court have passed an order terming fixed-pay appointment against regular posts as unconstitutional . Even though a single bench of the high court in Tripura headed by Justice (retired) Arindam Lodh had viewed the state government’s financial constraints to reject a similar petition for demanding regular payscale , the law department of the government failed to cite the order and its financial problems to the division bench for a favourable order. “It is unlikely that the supreme court will entertain the government’s plea which is against the letter and spirit of the constitution but we have to wait and watch how things unfold in the supreme court. The state government’s move has however come in for sharp criticism from various employees and teachers associations.

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