SC To Hear Punjab DA Dues Row
The CJI said the plea would be listed on Thursday before another bench hearing a similar petition: Reports
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a plea challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court's decision to issue a notice to Punjab's chief secretary asking why criminal contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him over non-payment of dearness allowance (DA) and dearness relief (DR) arrears to government employees.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana took note of submissions by senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for the state's additional chief secretary, that the chief secretary was being required to appear before the High Court almost regularly.
Singh submitted that the present government had inherited arrears of around ₹13,000 crore from the previous dispensation.
The CJI said the plea would be listed on Thursday before another bench hearing a similar petition.
On April 8, a single-judge bench of the High Court had quashed the government's plan to clear the dues in instalments and directed payment of all arrears and pending instalments by June 30 at rates applicable to IAS, IPS and IFS officers.
The additional chief secretary challenged the High Court's October 12 order issuing a show-cause notice to the chief secretary on the proposed initiation of criminal contempt proceedings. The notice was returnable on October 30.
The petition contended that the High Court proceedings arose from miscellaneous applications filed in a writ petition and a letters patent appeal that had already been disposed of.
It submitted that the applicants had sought action over alleged non-compliance with the earlier judgment, although the original petitioners had already initiated separate civil contempt proceedings on the same issue.