Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], November 3 (ANI): The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday heard the matter concerning the pending Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears of Punjab government employees and pensioners.
After hearing detailed arguments from both sides, the Court issued a contempt notice to the Chief Secretary of Punjab, who was present in the courtroom. The bench directed the Chief Secretary to file a reply via a compliance affidavit within 10 days regarding the non-compliance of the High Court’s earlier order dated August 3. The matter has been scheduled for its next hearing on November 17.
During the proceedings, the State of Punjab informed the Court that its Special Leave Petition (SLP) is ready for filing after curing all procedural defects, adding that the matter is likely to be listed before the Supreme Court immediately after Diwali.
On the other hand, counsel representing the petitioners argued that the state is facing a financial emergency and urged the Court to restrain the government from spending public funds on freebies.
Highlighting the court’s strict stance against the administrative delay, Senior Advocate Sunny Singla stated, “The issue reached the High Court again after employees sought action against state officials for failing to implement the August 3 order. The petitioners’ counsel submitted that the state government neither disbursed the DA arrears within the stipulated timeframe nor filed the mandatory compliance report sought by the Court.”
Earlier in October, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday heard a case concerning the pending Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears of Punjab government employees and pensioners and took a stern view of the state government’s failure to comply with its orders.
The hearing was held on a contempt petition filed by Nirmal Singh Dhillon, a retired Chief Engineer of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), over the alleged non-compliance with court directions regarding Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR).
During the hearing before the bench of Justice Harsh Bunger, the counsel representing the employees submitted that the Punjab government was adopting delaying tactics to avoid implementing the High Court’s orders. The counsel also pointed out that the Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the state government before the Supreme Court had remained on the defect list for more than two months.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the High Court imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the Punjab Chief Secretary for non-compliance with its orders. The court also directed the Chief Secretary to file a personal affidavit explaining why the High Court’s directions had not been implemented.
During the proceedings, the court made strong observations and questioned why the government had withheld DA/DR benefits from employees but had not similarly withheld the benefits of its senior officials.
The High Court has directed the Chief Secretary of Punjab to appear personally before it on November 3, 2026, the next date of hearing. (ANI)
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