Principal Seat · MP High Court · CAT Jabalpur
CAT Jabalpur Bench:
Service Matters & Administrative Law
Appearing before the Central Administrative Tribunal
and the Madhya Pradesh High Court
Central Administrative Tribunal
Representing Central Government Employees Before CAT Jabalpur
The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Jabalpur Bench exercises exclusive original jurisdiction over service matters of central government employees covered under the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985.
Siddharth Shukla appears regularly before the CAT Jabalpur Bench in matters arising from all central government departments and railway zones — including the South East Central Railway and West Central Railway — operating in the Jabalpur jurisdiction.
The chamber handles the complete litigation lifecycle, from drafting Original Applications (OAs) and seeking interim relief to arguing on merits and, where required, writ proceedings before the Madhya Pradesh High Court under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution.
Pay Fixation & Allowances
Disputes concerning pay band fixation, grade pay, revised pay matrix anomalies, and denial of allowances including HRA, TA, and special compensatory allowances.
Departmental Enquiries & Suspension
Representation during major and minor penalty proceedings, challenging enquiry reports, suspension orders, and seeking reinstatement of suspended employees.
Promotion & Seniority Disputes
Challenging DPC decisions, drawing up of seniority lists, supersession in promotion, and MACP-related grievances before the Tribunal.
Regularisation & Absorption
Matters concerning regularisation of daily-wage and contractual workers, absorption of deputationists, and status determination disputes.
Resources
CAT Service Law Guide
Analysis of judgments on the legal questions that arise in service matters, arranged by subject. Some linked pieces concern the High Court and are included because the same question arises before CAT. This section is for general information only.
Disciplinary Proceedings
Charge memoranda, enquiry reports, penalties, suspension, back wages and reinstatement.
Pay and Railway Employees
Pay fixation, pay protection, running allowance and pay-scale disputes.
Pension and Service Benefits
Pension on ad hoc and long service, regularisation for pension, and completion-of-age questions.
Seniority and Promotion
Seniority against statutory rules, DPC decisions and supersession.
Regularisation
Regularisation of contractual and daily-wage workers, and fair consideration.
After the Tribunal: High Court
Writ challenges to CAT orders under Articles 226 and 227, with format, limitation and bench jurisdiction.
Case Law
Latest Judgments on Service Law
Short notes on recent judgments of the Central Administrative Tribunal, the High Courts and the Supreme Court that bear on central government service. General information only.
Saroj Bala & Anr. v. Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir & Ors.
Held: Reversion of in-charge Physical Education Masters, who studied on the Director’s permission and served about eleven years, quashed on the strength of a coordinate bench ruling. Regularisation runs from the date of actual entitlement under the rules, not automatically from the in-charge placement.
Raj Mani Yadav v. Union of India & Ors.
Held: Gratuity of a Railway employee convicted of murder, appeal pending, stays withheld under Rule 10(1)(c), Railway Services (Pension) Rules, 1993. Suspension-period pay (FR 54-B) and MACP are separate claims; rejection set aside for a fresh reasoned order in three months.
Leela Pathrabe v. Ministry of Railways & Ors.
Held: Ex parte removal of a missing Railway employee set aside: charge-sheet never served, inquiry officer also a witness, charge-sheet issued by an incompetent officer. Dues and family pension to be processed under RBE 150/91 within four months; compassionate appointment refused.
Brijesh Kumar v. Union of India
Held: A Gramin Dak Sevak who skipped all fourteen dates of a de novo inquiry cannot later plead denial of natural justice because it ran ex parte. Review is limited to jurisdiction and process; the discharge from engagement stood.
Bablu Sharma & Anr. v. Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir
Held: Technical qualifications gained before joining service cannot be ignored for promotion merely for want of departmental permission. A seniority list or administrative clarification cannot add eligibility conditions beyond the recruitment rules. The applicants’ cases go to the DPC; promotion is not automatic.
Chamber Practice
Areas of Practice
Service Jurisprudence
Government and railway employee matters before CAT Jabalpur — pay, promotions, seniority, regularisation, and disciplinary proceedings under Central Civil Services Rules.
Constitutional Law
Drafting and arguing writ petitions under Articles 226 and 227 before the Principal Seat of the MP High Court, including challenges to CAT orders.
Civil Litigation
Contract disputes, property matters, injunctions, and civil suits before civil courts in Jabalpur and appellate jurisdiction of the High Court.
Arbitration
Conduct of arbitration proceedings and challenges under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act — including Section 34 applications in commercial and government contract disputes.
Corporate & Tax
Corporate advisory, regulatory compliance, and tax litigation including representation before Income Tax Appellate Tribunal and indirect tax forums.
Labour Law
Industrial dispute resolution, termination challenges, ESIC and EPF matters, and representation before Labour Courts and Industrial Tribunals.
Profile
Siddharth Shukla
Siddharth Shukla is a practising Advocate enrolled with the Bar Council of Madhya Pradesh, appearing before the Principal Seat of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur and the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Jabalpur Bench.
The chamber maintains a focused civil and constitutional practice, including service jurisprudence for central government employees and railway personnel. Routine matters include Original Applications before CAT, writ petitions under Articles 226 and 227, civil suits, and arbitration proceedings for both individual and corporate clients.
In addition to tribunal and High Court practice, the chamber advises corporate clients on regulatory compliance, commercial contracts, and tax matters, and has experience in complex commercial arbitration under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.
Chamber Address
Siddharth Shukla OfficeSecond Floor, CARAVS Building, 15 South Civil Lines
Jabalpur – 482001, Madhya Pradesh
+91 91794 64341 · siddharthshuklaoffice@gmail.com
Common Queries
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to questions commonly received from central government employees seeking legal representation in Jabalpur.
The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) Jabalpur Bench exercises exclusive jurisdiction over service matters of central government employees — including railway employees — posted within its territorial jurisdiction. Any central government servant whose grievance relates to pay, promotion, seniority, disciplinary proceedings, transfer, or conditions of service may file an Original Application (OA) before the CAT.
The chamber regularly handles matters concerning pay fixation anomalies, grade pay disputes, denial of allowances (HRA, TA, NPS), suspension orders, major and minor penalty proceedings, compulsory retirement, premature retirement, MACP disputes, seniority-list challenges, promotion matters, and regularisation / absorption of contractual workers. Urgent interim relief can be sought where the facts warrant.
Under Section 21 of the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985, an Original Application must ordinarily be filed within one year of the final order. Where a representation or appeal is pending and no final order is passed, the one year runs from the expiry of six months after it was made. Delay can be condoned on sufficient cause, but it is not a right. Departmental remedies must generally be exhausted first (Section 20). Dates matter, so check them early.
CAT hears service matters of central government employees, All-India Services officers and employees of bodies notified under Section 14(2) of the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985. Members of the armed forces, state government employees and employees of public sector undertakings that have not been notified fall outside it. Such disputes generally go to the High Court by writ or to the forum under the employer's service rules. Confirm your department's status before filing.
Yes. Orders of the Central Administrative Tribunal are amenable to challenge by way of writ petitions under Article 226 and Article 227 of the Constitution of India before the MP High Court, as held by the Supreme Court in L. Chandra Kumar v. Union of India (1997). The chamber handles the complete chain of litigation from the Tribunal through the High Court.
Yes. Central government employees from across Madhya Pradesh whose matters fall within the territorial jurisdiction of the CAT Jabalpur Bench, or whose departments are listed before the Principal Seat of the MP High Court, may approach the chamber. Initial consultations can be arranged remotely, and the intake form below initiates that process.
The first step is to contact the chamber with a brief summary of your matter — specifically the department you serve, the nature of the grievance (pay, promotion, disciplinary action, etc.), and whether any departmental remedy has already been exhausted. Use the intake form below, which connects directly via WhatsApp, to initiate a preliminary review.
Chamber Intake
Request a Preliminary
Case Review
To initiate a consultation, please provide a brief account of your matter using the form. A pre-filled WhatsApp message is generated upon verification — you will need to send it manually.
All initial reviews are conducted in confidence. Providing information does not constitute the formation of an attorney-client relationship.
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