HP High Court Stays Notification on Higher Grade Pay, Relief for Thousands of Employees
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has stayed the 6 September 2025 notification that aimed to withdraw higher grade pay benefits for government employees. The notification was reported to affect the higher salary scales of employees.
A bench comprising Justice Vivek Singh Thakur and Justice Romesh Verma passed the order during the hearing of the case Anil Guleria & Others vs. Himachal Pradesh. The bench noted that despite being given sufficient opportunity, the state government had not yet filed a reply. The court granted the government an additional four weeks to file its response, while the petitioners were also given four weeks to file their rejoinder. The next hearing is scheduled for 7 January.
The order has come as a major relief for thousands of affected employees. On 6 September 2025, the state government had amended the Himachal Pradesh Civil Services (Revised Pay) Rules 2022, removing the earlier Rule 7(A). According to the notification, any excess payment already made to employees would not be recovered.
Rule 7(A) pertained to employees appointed before 3 January 2022, under which pay was to be fixed at the higher pay matrix stage for positions listed in Schedule Two after completion of two years of regular service.
The notification had not been implemented amid employee protests. Employee unions met Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and demanded a stay. Implementation of the notification would have reduced salaries of clerks and other categories by ₹8,000 to ₹10,000.
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