Punjab Chief Secretary fined Rs 1 lakh over pending DA compliance report

The High Court fined Punjab Chief Secretary K A P Sinha for failing to submit a DA dues compliance report. The order signals judicial concern over the state's continued defiance and delayed payments.

In Short

• Employees and pensioners sought enforcement of unpaid dearness allowance and relief dues
• Earlier orders required parity with rates paid to All India Services officers
• Unpaid amounts after the deadline attract six per cent annual interest

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on Punjab Chief Secretary K A P Sinha for failing to submit a compliance report in a case concerning pending dearness allowance dues to state government employees and pensioners, Press Trust of India reported.

Justice Harsh Bunger also directed Sinha to file a personal affidavit by October 30 on compliance with the court's earlier orders and appear in person at the next hearing on November 3.

The directions were issued on Tuesday while the court was hearing a contempt petition filed by employees and pensioners over the alleged non-compliance with its August 3 order. The order had directed the Punjab government to release dearness allowance and dearness relief dues at the rates paid to All India Services officers serving in the state under the Central government pattern.

The court had also directed the Punjab government not to incur unproductive expenditure, including on large-scale advertising campaigns in print or on social media, until the dues were cleared. It had said such expenditure could not justify denying admissible dues to state employees.

The court had further ordered that any amount remaining unpaid after the specified deadline would carry simple interest at six per cent a year.

The Punjab government filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court on September 1 against the High Court order. During Tuesday's hearing, counsel for the petitioners said the appeal was pending because of defects and had not been listed for hearing, according to PTI.

After the state's counsel sought more time to file a status or compliance report, the court said the request was completely unjustified.

“The aforementioned facts and circumstances clearly reflect the defiant attitude adopted by the respondents with regard to compliance of the directions issued by this Court, which cannot be countenanced in law,” the court said.

The court noted that the contempt petition had earlier been listed on August 21, when the state's counsel was given time to submit a status or compliance report. It said no such report had been placed on record despite sufficient time being granted.

Counsel for the petitioners also said criminal contempt proceedings had been initiated against the chief secretary for allegedly filing a false affidavit about the state's appeal in the Supreme Court. The matter is pending before a division bench of the High Court.

The court directed Sinha to file his personal affidavit by October 30, subject to payment of Rs 1 lakh to the High Court Lawyers Welfare Fund. The cost was imposed for failing to submit the status or compliance report despite being given sufficient time.

A single-judge bench had ruled in favour of the employees on April 8 and directed the state government to clear the pending dearness allowance by June 30. After the government challenged that order, a division bench ruled in favour of the employees and pensioners on August 3 and directed the state to comply by August 18.

The case concerns the Punjab government's compliance with orders to clear dearness allowance and dearness relief dues, with the chief secretary now required to submit a personal affidavit, pay the cost and appear before the court on November 3.

- Ends