The Railway Board has issued an advisory to all zonal railways after the Supreme Court stayed a Calcutta High Court order that had granted Chief Loco Inspectors (CLIs) the benefit of a 55% pay element in the calculation of retirement benefits.

This pay element, currently applicable only to the running staff like loco pilots and guards, is a crucial part of salary and retirement benefit calculations. It is provided as compensation for the demanding, mobile nature of their duties, and is calculated as 55% of basic pay, factoring in allowances.

CLIs, who are typically promoted from the ranks of senior loco pilots, serve in supervisory roles, training and monitoring the running staff, but are not directly engaged in operating trains. Their longstanding demand has been to be classified on par with running staff, especially for the purpose of including the 55% pay element in their retirement calculations.

However, the Railway Board, in a letter dated September 16, stressed that the Supreme Court’s interim stay upholds the distinction between running and non-running (static) staff, reaffirming the Ministry of Railways' stance.

"Zonal Railways are directed to actively rely on this order while contesting similar claims relating to extension of 55 per cent pay element to CLIs in pending before CATs/High Courts," the board's letter said.

The Board also noted the Supreme Court’s opinion that treating static staff the same as running staff for pay benefits is not only administratively incorrect, but also violates Article 14 of the Constitution, which ensures equality before the law.

"Equating running staff with static staff for allowances or pay element benefits is inequitable and violative of Article 14 of the Constitution of India," the board's letter said.

PTI inputs