Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh government has directed all departments to revise the seniority lists of government employees by incorporating the period of contractual service, a move that could significantly alter promotion prospects and seniority positions across various departments.
The Department of Personnel has issued fresh instructions to all departments following the Himachal Pradesh High Court’s decision to strike down the Himachal Pradesh Government Employees Recruitment and Service Conditions Act, 2024, and the subsequent dismissal of the state government’s appeal by the Supreme Court.
Under the new directives, departments have been asked to review previous cases and prepare provisional as well as final seniority lists by taking into account the contractual service rendered by employees before their regularisation. The revised seniority positions will determine the eligibility of employees for promotions in accordance with the applicable service rules.
The decision could benefit several employees whose seniority improves after the inclusion of their contractual service. Departments have been instructed to convene fresh Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) meetings wherever employees become eligible for promotion under the revised seniority lists. Their promotion claims will be examined and finalised only after the prescribed DPC process.
The revision could also have implications for employees who have already received promotions. If an employee who was previously promoted is placed below another employee in the revised seniority list, their promotion status may require reconsideration. In such cases, the previously promoted employee may have to wait for their turn under the revised seniority position until an appropriate vacancy becomes available.
The government has also clarified that no additional or supernumerary posts will be created to accommodate adjustments arising from the revision of seniority and promotions. Generally, promotions will be granted prospectively or from the date an employee assumes charge of the higher post, subject to applicable rules and judicial directions.
On the financial implications, the government has clarified that employees will not automatically receive monetary benefits merely because their seniority or promotion position has been revised. In most cases, the benefits will be granted notionally, while actual financial benefits will be admissible only where specifically permitted by a court order. Departments have also been directed to calculate the potential financial implications after completing the DPC exercise.
Importantly, employees who did not approach the courts to seek relief will not automatically be entitled to the benefits granted to those who secured favourable judicial orders. Their cases will be decided in accordance with the Supreme Court’s August 11, 2026, judgment in the Jameet Singh case. The government has clarified that merely being similarly placed as employees who obtained relief from the courts will not, by itself, entitle others to the same benefits.
The latest directives are expected to initiate a comprehensive exercise across government departments to reassess employees’ seniority and promotion records. The process could have far-reaching implications for thousands of government employees who were initially appointed on a contractual basis before being regularised.
