In an important decision on January 28, 2026, the Delhi High Court ruled in favor of Kanhaiya Singh and others, giving them higher pay benefits called Non-Functional Junior Administrative Grade (NFJAG) and Non-Functional Upgradation (NFU). This decision comes after many years of legal battles and appeals.
The case began when Kanhaiya Singh and his colleagues, who work as engineers in the Geological Survey of India (GSI), asked for higher pay scales. They argued that they deserved the NFJAG and NFU benefits, just like engineers in other government services.
On September 2, 2003, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) told the government to consider the engineers' requests for NFJAG, saying that GSI engineers should be treated the same as those in All India Radio and Doordarshan who already got these benefits.
"Engineers in GSI should not be treated differently compared to those in AIR and Doordarshan," the Tribunal noted.
Even though the Tribunal gave an order, the government rejected the engineers' requests in December 2003, saying that GSI engineers were not part of a recognized group of high-level government services. This led to further legal action, with the Tribunal finding the government's actions disrespectful.
The Delhi High Court, with Justices Navin Chawla and Madhu Jain in charge, dismissed the government's appeal against the Tribunal's order. The Court decided that the GSI's Mechanical Engineering group is indeed a recognized high-level government service, making the engineers eligible for the NFJAG and NFU benefits.
"The Mechanical Engineering group of GSI is a recognized high-level government service," the Court confirmed.
The Court ordered the government to give the NFU benefits to Kanhaiya Singh and others within eight weeks, along with interest. Additionally, the government was fined Rs. 25,000 for each petitioner for bringing up issues that were already settled.
The Court's decision is a big win for GSI engineers, ensuring they get the same benefits as their peers in other government services. The government is now required to follow through with the Court's orders.
