MP High Court order challenged in Supreme Court:Government not ready to reduce probation period from 3 to 2 years in new recruitments

The case related to the salary and arrears of 40,000 government employees in the state has reached the Supreme Court. The state government has challenged the High Court’s decision, which had declared unconstitutional the rule of a 3-year probation period and the 70-80 and 90 percent salary received during this period. The SLP filed by the state government is currently on the Supreme Court’s ‘defect list’. In this case, registered under Diary Number 20778/2026 (CNR: SC IAin 010207782026), the registry has found some technical deficiencies. The government has 90 days to rectify these deficiencies. Until these errors are corrected, the formal hearing of the case cannot begin. Employees had already filed a caveat
Against this appeal by the government, employees have made thorough preparations. After winning in the High Court, a caveat has been filed in the Supreme Court by Waseem Akram, Amandeep Singh Bagga, Priyanka Srivastava, and Asad Siddiqui. This directly means that the Supreme Court will hear the employees’ side along with the government’s side and will not be able to impose any unilateral stay on the High Court’s order without hearing them. What was the High Court’s decision – On January 6, 2026, the Jabalpur High Court, delivering a major verdict, had quashed the 2019 government order which provided for salary cuts for new employees. The court, based on the principle of ‘equal pay for equal work’, had ordered that employees be given 100 per cent salary and arrears from the first day of appointment. Challenge before the government- The state government has stated financial burden as the main reason for approaching the Supreme Court. If the High Court’s order is implemented, the government will have to pay 400 crore as arrears. The government argues that determining the terms of probation and salary is its policy right. Arrears payment stalled- Currently, due to the matter being pending in the Supreme Court, the arrears and increased salaries of thousands of teachers, policemen, and employees in the state have been stalled. Now, all eyes are on the Supreme Court’s first hearing, which is likely to take place in May after the government addresses the deficiencies. Penalty or petition may be dismissed