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'Best Doctor in World': MP High Court Upholds Equal Pay
The Madhya Pradesh High Court considered whether animal doctors should receive the same career-pay benefits as doctors treating people.
Veterinary surgeons had to wait eight years for certain pay benefits.
Medical and dental doctors could receive those benefits after five, 10, 15 and 30 years of service.
The state said the two groups worked under different rules and departments.
The court disagreed with treating them differently for this benefit.
It said veterinarians do difficult work because animals cannot explain what hurts.
Veterinarians also travel to remote places and serve many rural communities.
The court ordered the government to provide them equal time-scale pay benefits.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court upheld equal time-scale pay benefits for veterinary surgeons and medical officers.
Veterinary surgeons previously received time-scale benefits after eight years, unlike medical and dental doctors receiving them after five, 10, 15 and 30 years.
The court said veterinarians perform highly skilled work treating animals that cannot describe their symptoms.
The state argued veterinarians follow different service rules and work under a separate department from medical and dental doctors.
The court said equivalent existing pay scales and similar public-serving roles made different higher-pay progression unjustifiable.
- Who
- Veterinary assistant surgeons, the Madhya Pradesh government, and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, including Justices Anand Pathak and B P Sharma.
- What
- The court upheld an order granting veterinary surgeons time-scale pay benefits on par with medical and dental doctors.
- Where
- Madhya Pradesh, India.
- When
- Why
- The court found that veterinarians and human-health doctors are similarly serving society and that unequal pay progression was unjustified despite different service rules.
Veterinary Surgeons Seeking Parity
State Government Opposing Parity
Different service rules
Veterinary Surgeons Seeking Parity
Veterinary assistant surgeons argued that they should receive time-scale pay benefits on par with medical officers and dental surgeons because the government already treated their pay scales and benefits as equivalent.
State Government Opposing Parity
The state argued that veterinarians were governed by different rules and worked in the Animal Husbandry and Dairy Department, while medical and dental doctors belonged to the Public Health and Family Welfare Department.
Nature of the work
Veterinary Surgeons Seeking Parity
The petitioners’ position was supported by the court’s view that veterinarians perform demanding, highly skilled work and act as healers of society alongside doctors treating humans.
State Government Opposing Parity
The state maintained that separate departmental rules prevented the veterinarians from claiming identical benefits, even though the court ultimately rejected that argument.
Key facts
- Court
- Madhya Pradesh High Court
- Judges
- Justices Anand Pathak and B P Sharma
- Veterinary benefit schedule
- Veterinary surgeons were previously given the relevant benefit after eight years of service.
- Medical and dental benefit schedule
- Medical officers and dental surgeons received benefits after five, 10, 15 and 30 years of service.
- Rural reach
- The court said veterinarians interact with more than 80% of the rural population.
- Government department
- Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy
- Court reasoning
- Veterinarians treat voiceless animals and often work in remote areas with difficult terrain and weather.
Quotes
Madhya Pradesh High Court
The court’s bench comprising Justices Anand Pathak and B P Sharma
“Being the employer, the State cannot discriminate between two services rendering the same nature of job, although the targeted group may be different.”
indianexpress.com
“Therefore, their services cannot be discounted in any manner.”
indianexpress.com
Will Rogers
American humourist and social commentator quoted by the High Court
“Personally, I have always felt that the best doctor in the world is the veterinarian. He can’t ask his patient what the matter is. He’s just got to know.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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