SCPC: Precedence games played with pay scales

On popular demand, I am enclosing comments on the Central Warrant of Precedence that is presently applicable. This WoP is only till the rank of Major General and below this the old warrant of 1937 is valid till date as confirmed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. (Link given below)

Taking into account the 6th CPC, things to ponder in view of the WoP:

The 6th CPC has equated the Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) of the Civil Services with a Major General. This is incorrect. Only those officers of the SAG can be equated with Major Generals who are empanelled and holding the appointment of a Joint Secretary to Govt of India, and that too only for ceremonial purposes. (Please see Article 26 and Note-1 below it). It is a Joint Secretary GOI who is equated with a Maj Gen for ceremonial purposes and not all SAG officers. There are many SAG officers but not all are Joint Secretaries in Govt of India.

The 6th CPC has taken the WoP as a basis for determination of pay scales and status and that is the reason for equating a GOI Joint Secretary’s pay with a Maj Gen (Both on Article 26). The same was done by earlier CPCs too. Keeping that in view, now how do they justify a fixed pay of Rs 80,000 for DG of CPOs and a lesser pay of Rs 39200-67000 (with Grade Pay of Rs 11000) to Lt Generals ? A Lt Gen is on Article 24 while a DG of a CPO is on Article 25!. In fact, a Maj Gen posted as a PSO (as was the case in the past) is equated with a CPO DG on Article 25.

How has the same pay of Rs 80,000 been recommended for an Army Commander (GOC-in-C) and DsG of CPOs ? An Army Commander is on Article 23 while the latter is two steps below on Article 25.

The pay of a Lt Gen (Article 24 of WoP) has been kept at Rs 39200-67000 (with a Grade Pay of Rs 11000) which is lesser than even the pay of a DG of State Police who has the same pay-scale with a Grade Pay of Rs 13000. A DGP of State Police does not even feature on the Central Warrant of Precedence. In fact, the pay of a Lt Gen has now been linked to the pay of an Addl DGP of States who has also been placed in the same pay band with a Grade Pay of 11000. Needless to say, an Addl DG also is nowhere near the Central WoP.

Maj Navdeep Singh
Advocate, Punjab & Haryana High Court

Central Warrant of Precedence
Indian Military Service Benefits and Issues