LPA-1588-2024 (O&M) and other connected matters 1 IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH (103+236) (1) LPA-1588-2024 (O&M) Date of Decision : 14.07.2026 State of Punjab and others ...Appellants Versus Baljinder Singh and others ...Respondents (2) LPA-1903-2024 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Swaranjit Singh and others ...Respondents (3) LPA-2334-2024 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Rupinder Singh and others ...Respondents (4) LPA-2282-2024 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Darshan Singh and another ...Respondents (5) LPA-2284-2024 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Jagtar Singh and others KANCHAN 2026.07.18 10:48 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this order/judgment LPA-1588-2024 (O&M) and other connected matters 2 ...Respondents (6) LPA-2286-2024 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Gurjinder Singh ...Respondent (7) LPA-272-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Bikramjit Singh and others ...Respondents (8) LPA-283-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Gurjit Singh and others ...Respondents (9) LPA-300-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Bhupinder Singh and others ...Respondents (10) LPA-302-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Ram Singh and others ...Respondents KANCHAN 2026.07.18 10:48 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this order/judgment LPA-1588-2024 (O&M) and other connected matters 3 (11) LPA-330-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Ajit Singh and others ...Respondents (12) LPA-331-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Makhan Singh Mahey and others ...Respondents (13) LPA-332-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and others ...Appellants Versus Gurpreet Singh and another ...Respondents (14) LPA-334-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Avtar Singh and others ...Respondents (15) LPA-336-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Manjinder Singh and another ...Respondents KANCHAN 2026.07.18 10:48 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this order/judgment LPA-1588-2024 (O&M) and other connected matters 4 (16) LPA-198-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Rachhpal Singh and others ...Respondents (17) LPA-235-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Ashwani Kumar and others ...Respondents (18) LPA-429-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Jiwan Lal and others ...Respondents (19) LPA-430-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and others ...Appellants Versus Ram Dass and others ...Respondents (20) LPA-431-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Gurmukh Singh and others ...Respondents (21) LPA-383-2025 (O&M) KANCHAN 2026.07.18 10:48 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this order/judgment LPA-1588-2024 (O&M) and other connected matters 5 State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Barjinder Singh and others ...Respondents (22) LPA-386-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and others ...Appellants Versus Gurdev Singh and others ...Respondents (23) LPA-387-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Palwinder Singh and others ...Respondents (24) LPA-388-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and others ...Appellants Versus Satwinder Singh and others ...Respondents (25) LPA-531-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and others ...Appellants Versus Nirmaljit Singh Bajwa and others ...Respondents (26) LPA-533-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and others ...Appellants KANCHAN 2026.07.18 10:48 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this order/judgment LPA-1588-2024 (O&M) and other connected matters 6 Versus Anup Singh and others ...Respondents (27) LPA-534-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and others ...Appellants Versus Naresh Kumar and others ...Respondents (28) LPA-537-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and others ...Appellants Versus Rajinder Singh and others ...Respondents (29) LPA-528-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and others ...Appellants Versus Jatinder Pal Singh and others ...Respondents (30) LPA-414-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and others ...Appellants Versus Amarjit Singh and others ...Respondents (31) LPA-486-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and others ...Appellants Versus KANCHAN 2026.07.18 10:48 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this order/judgment LPA-1588-2024 (O&M) and other connected matters 7 Jagtar Singh and others ...Respondents (32) LPA-415-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and others ...Appellants Versus Baljit Singh and others ...Respondents (33) LPA-554-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and others ...Appellants Versus Tarsem Lal and others ...Respondents (34) LPA-555-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and others ...Appellants Versus Surinder Singh and others ...Respondents (35) LPA-557-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and others ...Appellants Versus Nand Kishore and others ...Respondents (36) LPA-785-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus KANCHAN 2026.07.18 10:48 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this order/judgment LPA-1588-2024 (O&M) and other connected matters 8 Makhan Lal and others ...Respondents (37) LPA-923-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Suba Singh and others ...Respondents (38) LPA-64-2025 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Pawan Kumar and others ...Respondents (39) LPA-172-2026 (O&M) State of Punjab and another ...Appellants Versus Barjinder Singh and others ...Respondents CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE HARSIMRAN SINGH SETHI HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE AMARINDER SINGH GREWAL Present: Mr. Ramandeep Singh Pandher, Additional Advocate General, Punjab. Mr. Sanjay Kaushal, Senior Advocate with Ms. Ojaswini Gagneja, Advocate for the respondents in LPA-1588-2024 & LPA-1903-2024. Mr. Anil Malhotra, Senior Advocate with Ms. Isha Goyal, Advocate and Mr. Ankit Malhotra, Advocate for the respondents in LPA-2282-2024, LPA-2284-2024, LPA-2286-2024, LPA-2334-2024 and LPA-198-2025 and LPA-64-2025. KANCHAN 2026.07.18 10:48 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this order/judgment LPA-1588-2024 (O&M) and other connected matters 9 Mr. B.S. Bajwa, Advocate with Mr. Manthan Pathania, Advocate for respondents No. 1 to 7 in LPA-235-2025. Mr. Rajan Bansal, Advocate for the respondents in LPA-300-2025, LPA-330-2025 and LPA-283-2025. Mr. A.P.S. Mann, Advocate for respondents No. 3 and 4 in LPA-331-2025, for respondent No. 1 in LPA-334-2025 and for the respondents in LPA-383-2025. Mr. Hariom Sharma, Advocate and Mr. Jasvinder Rao, Advocate for respondents No. 1 to 11 and 13 to 40 in LPA-387-2025. *** Harsimran Singh Sethi, J. (Oral) 1. By this common order, 39 Letters Patent Appeals, the details of which have been given in the heading, are being decided as all these appeals involve the same question of law on similar facts. 2. In the present bunch of appeals, an order dated 04.08.2023 passed by the learned Single Judge in CWP No. 5382 of 2002 titled as Baljinder Singh and others Vs. State of Punjab and others, has been impugned whereby the plea of the petitioners was allowed and the Notification dated 25.02.1991 was quashed and set-aside to the extent of dividing the Patwaris in two categories and granted two different pay scales. Further, the State of Punjab was directed to place all the petitioners in the higher pay scale of 1350 – 2400 as has been given to Senior Patwaris. 3. Learned counsel appearing on behalf of the appellants-State submits that a relief has been given to the respondents of a pay scale, which KANCHAN 2026.07.18 10:48 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this order/judgment LPA-1588-2024 (O&M) and other connected matters 10 was denied to them by a Notification issued on 25.02.1991 as well as keeping in view the subsequent Notification of the Government of Punjab dated 19.05.1998, wherein, though pay scale of all Patwaris was made identical but, the 50% Patwaris who were already getting a higher pay scale, such pay scale was allowed to continue as a matter personal to them. 4. Learned counsel for the appellants-State further submits that in the absence of any challenge to the aforesaid Notification of the Government of Punjab dated 19.05.1998, validity of such action could not have been decided and the direction so given to grant the benefit is contrary to the Notification, which still exists as of now. Learned counsel for the appellants submits that keeping in view the totality of the circumstances, when the initial Notification issued on 25.02.1991 bifurcating the Cadre of Patwaris into Senior Patwaris and Junior Patwaris coupled with the subsequent Notification of 19.05.1998 which depicts and authorized the Government to give pay scale as per such Notification, in the absence of any challenge, the grant of relief by the learned Single Judge was beyond the jurisdiction. 5. Faced with this situation, the learned Senior counsel appearing on behalf of the respondents submits that the order passed by the learned Single Judge may be set-aside on this technicality only with a liberty to the petitioners, who are agitating their claim since long to avail appropriate remedy so as to challenge the Notification of dated 25.02.1991 as well as of 19.05.1998. 6. Learned counsel for the appellants-State raises no objection to such prayer. KANCHAN 2026.07.18 10:48 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this order/judgment LPA-1588-2024 (O&M) and other connected matters 11 7. Keeping in view the above, the judgment of the learned Single Judge dated 04.08.2023 is set-aside. However, the respondents will be within their jurisdiction to avail appropriate remedy for the redressal of their grievances by filing appropriate writ petition challenging 1991 and 1998 pay Rules so as to object to the discrimination at the hands of the Government qua similarly situated employees. 8. Ordered accordingly. 9. Pending miscellaneous application(s) including applications seeking condonation of delay shall also stand disposed of. 10. A photocopy of this order be placed on the file of connected cases. (HARSIMRAN SINGH SETHI) JUDGE (AMARINDER SINGH GREWAL) July 14, 2026 JUDGE kanchan Whether speaking/reasoned : Yes Whether reportable : No KANCHAN 2026.07.18 10:48 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this order/judgment