Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday ordered issue of notice to the State and Union governments on a petition filed by K. Bhakthavatsala, chairperson of the Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal (KSAT), seeking monthly salary at par with the Chief Justice of a High Court.
In his petition, Bhakthavatsala, 64, who had retired as a judge of the High Court in 2014, has contended that the post of the chairperson of the KSAT is equivalent to the post of the Chief Justice of a High Court and hence the KSAT’s chairperson also should be paid a monthly salary of Rs. 90,000 instead of Rs. 80,000, which is the salary payable to the members of the KSAT.
Justice Raghvendra S. Chauhan, before whom the petition came up for hearing, adjourned further hearing after ordering issuance of notices. Pointing out that the chairperson of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) gets salary equivalent to that of a High Court Chief Justice, it has been claimed in the petition that there cannot be distinction between the chairperson of the KSAT and the chairperson of the CAT when both the tribunals were constituted under the provisions of the Administrative Tribunals Act.
Stating that the chairperson of the KSAT is given additional responsibilities of administrative works that are not entrusted to the members of the KSAT, the petitioner-chairperson has contended that there is no justification in denial of salary of Rs. 90,000 a month to him.
