HC notice to state for defaulting on salaries
Saurabh Malik/TNS Chandigarh, September 17 Less than a week ago Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal had claimed that the government had never defaulted in paying salaries and arrears to its employees. But a petition filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court by more than 24 Hindi teachers belies this claim.
Alleging that they have not been paid for almost 18 months, the teachers have moved the High Court seeking directions to the State of Punjab and its functionaries to pay them salaries along with arrears. They have also sought directions for withholding the salaries of the Director-General of School Education and Director Public Instruction (SE) during the pendency of the petition, so that "they may realise where the shoe pinches". Taking up the matter, Justice Tejinder Singh Dhindsa has put the State of Punjab and its functionaries on notice. In their petition filed through counsel Kapil Kakkar and Hema Kakkar, Poonam of Muktsar district and 28 other petitioners claimed they were selected and appointed as Hindi teachers on contract in July 2010 after an advertisement was issued for filling 455 posts on a consolidated salary of Rs 16,500 per month. Kakkar said the teachers' salaries were subsequently raised to Rs 18,000 per month. Though the petitioners performed their duty "with honesty and without any break", they were not paid wages in "an illegal, unjust and unfair manner" with effect from April 1, 2012. After they submitted numerous representations, the teachers were told that their appointments were made "under the financial assistance for appointment of language teachers of the Central Government" and they would be paid salaries "as and when funds from the Central Government are received". The petitioners later met the respondents and prayed for immediate release of salaries as funds had been received from the Government of India. But to their shock and surprise, they were on August 3, 2013, given new appointment letters, with changes in the terms and conditions of service.
Saurabh Malik/TNS Chandigarh, September 17 Less than a week ago Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal had claimed that the government had never defaulted in paying salaries and arrears to its employees. But a petition filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court by more than 24 Hindi teachers belies this claim.
Alleging that they have not been paid for almost 18 months, the teachers have moved the High Court seeking directions to the State of Punjab and its functionaries to pay them salaries along with arrears. They have also sought directions for withholding the salaries of the Director-General of School Education and Director Public Instruction (SE) during the pendency of the petition, so that "they may realise where the shoe pinches". Taking up the matter, Justice Tejinder Singh Dhindsa has put the State of Punjab and its functionaries on notice. In their petition filed through counsel Kapil Kakkar and Hema Kakkar, Poonam of Muktsar district and 28 other petitioners claimed they were selected and appointed as Hindi teachers on contract in July 2010 after an advertisement was issued for filling 455 posts on a consolidated salary of Rs 16,500 per month. Kakkar said the teachers' salaries were subsequently raised to Rs 18,000 per month. Though the petitioners performed their duty "with honesty and without any break", they were not paid wages in "an illegal, unjust and unfair manner" with effect from April 1, 2012. After they submitted numerous representations, the teachers were told that their appointments were made "under the financial assistance for appointment of language teachers of the Central Government" and they would be paid salaries "as and when funds from the Central Government are received". The petitioners later met the respondents and prayed for immediate release of salaries as funds had been received from the Government of India. But to their shock and surprise, they were on August 3, 2013, given new appointment letters, with changes in the terms and conditions of service.
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