# Allahabad HC: State can’t ignore pay parity clause in central scheme 2026-08-16T00:00:37+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Allahabad High Court has ruled that a state which adopts a Centrally Sponsored Scheme and recruits employees to implement it cannot selectively enforce only convenient parts while ignoring clauses that benefit those employees. Justice Irshad Ali held that denying pay parity to Special Teachers merely because their appointments were described as contractual is arbitrary and violates Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution. The case involved 24 petitioners working as Special Teachers under the Integrated Education for Disabled Children (IEDC) Scheme. Clause 12.3 of the scheme requires that these teachers receive the same pay scales as corresponding category teachers in the state, plus special pay. The petitioners, initially on a consolidated honorarium of Rs 6,000 per month, sought regular pay scales, increments, pension, and other benefits. The court observed that the state's engagement of the teachers was not casual but perennial, and the state could not defeat the legitimate expectation created by the scheme. It found the Gujarat High Court's judgment in a similar matter persuasive. The state's plea that appointments were contractual was rejected, with the court stating that the state must act as a model employer. ## Coverage - livelaw.in This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Allahabad High Court, Article 14, IEDC Scheme, Justice Irshad Ali Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/allahabad-hc-state-cant-ignore-pay-parity-clause-in-central-scheme/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/allahabad-hc-state-cant-ignore-pay-parity-clause-in-central-scheme/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/