The Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday imposed a fine of ₹ 1 lakh on Punjab chief secretary and summoned him for November 3 hearing over non-compliance by the state government in implementing the court order on release of dearness allowance (DA) to employees and pensioners.
In that ruling, the court ordered the state to release all pending DA installments to employees and pensioners on a par with the central government rates paid to All India Services (IAS/IPS/IFS) officers within a fortnight. The government failed to comply with the order and the chief secretary has not filed a compliance report even now. However, even as two months have passed, the appeals by the government and Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) are yet to be taken up by the apex court as the same are lying in defects.
The court was hearing contempt petitions by employees and pensioners filed on August 21, after the state government failed to comply with the August 3 judgment of a high court division bench. The state government moved the apex court on September 1. The court noted that a single-judge order came in employees’ favour on April 8 and the state was given time to comply with the same by June 30. The government filed an appeal before the division bench and on August 3, the appellate court also ruled in employees’ favour with a fixed time till August 18 to comply with the order. The court had also sought a compliance report from the chief secretary by August 31, it further noted. Taking a serious note, the court has now sought a personal affidavit from the chief secretary by October 30 on directions issued in employees’ favour on April 8 and August 3 and also directed to explain about the August 17 communication. The affidavit will be accepted on payment of ₹ 1 lakh fine, the court said, asking the chief secretary to remain present on November 3.
The chief secretary is also facing criminal contempt in the same matter, pending before a different bench for making an alleged “false statement” over listing of the state’s appeal in the apex court. The petitioners’ counsels had told the court that repeated opportunities have been granted to the government to avail remedy of appeal in the apex court.
