Chandigarh, Apr 8 The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday directed the Punjab administration to clear pending dearness allowance of state government employees and pensioners by June 30.
Justice Harpreet Singh Brar was hearing a bunch of petitions regarding the delay in the release of DA of employees and pensioners.
Advocate Rashpinder Singh, the counsel for employees of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited, said the court, in its interim order, directed the Punjab government to clear the pending DA of all employees as well as pensioners, rejecting its submission regarding strained financial health.
Speaking to reporters here, Singh further said the state government has been asked to clear the DA by June 30 and its compliance be given. The next date of hearing in the matter is July 2.
The counsel for the petitioners submitted that DA installments with effect from July 1, 2023 have not been released to serving employees and pensioners.
On the other hand, a differential treatment was being accorded to serving all India service officers (IAS/IPS/IFS) and judicial officers within Punjab, the petitioners submitted.
These officers have been receiving DA regularly from the actual due dates of the respective installments on the pattern applicable to central government employees, whereas the petitioners, along with other serving employees and pensioners, have been subjected to "hostile discrimination," they further submitted.
The petitioners submitted that the DA of government employees is revised by the central government twice a year from January 1 and July 1 based upon All India Consumer Price Index.
Historically, right from the recommendations of the first Pay Commission, the state government has been paying the dearness allowance to its employees at the rates and pattern on a par with the central government employees from time to time.
The successive pay commissions of the government of Punjab have consistently followed this policy, they submitted that adding that the recommendations of the 5th Punjab Pay Commission were duly adopted by the state of Punjab.
Thereafter, the recommendations of the 6th Pay Commission to grant dearness allowance on the pattern of central government employees were approved by the Council of Ministers on June 17, 2021.
It was also submitted that five installments of DA have been paid to the eligible employees. The fifth installment, which fell due on January 1, 2023 was paid on November 1, 2024.
