In compliance with the Delhi High Court orders, Speaker Ram Niwas Goel has directed the reinstatement of professionals engaged as fellows and associate fellows with the Delhi Assembly Research Centre whose contracts were terminated recently.

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday said it will pass an order on October 3 on whether to modify its interim direction for continuation of services of professionals engaged as fellows with the Delhi Assembly Research Centre whose contracts were terminated by the assembly secretariat.

Dealing with an application filed by the legislative assembly secretariat and other authorities concerned seeking vacation of the interim order passed earlier this month, Justice Subramonium Prasad said, “List for order on October 3. Let me think over it”.

Earlier, Speaker Ram Niwas Goel has directed the reinstatement of professionals engaged as fellows and associate fellows with the Delhi Assembly Research Centre whose contracts were terminated recently. 

“Thus, in view of the decisions of the Supreme Court and Article 14 of the Constitution of India, and to avoid burdening the court with unnecessary litigation, I hereby reinstate the Fellows, Associate Fellows and Associate Fellows (Media) who are affected by the order dated 09.08.2023, and further direct that due stipends be paid to them.

“This would be subject to further orders of the High Court...” read the order issued by the Legislative Assembly Secretariat.

The Delhi High Court had last week directed that the services of these DARC fellows be continued till December 6 and stipends paid to them.

 The Legislative Assembly Secretariat had issued orders for disengagement of 116 fellows under the Delhi Assembly Research Centre (DARC) Fellowship Programme in August, days after Parliament passed a Bill related to services matters in the national capital.

Earlier on Wednesday, the respondent authorities argued the order cannot be sustained in view of the absence of sanction for the posts by the lieutenant governor and the pendency of the issue regarding control of services before the Supreme Court.

 The counsel for the petitioners opposed the application and said the scope of the present petition and the matter pending before the top court did not overlap, and the petitioners were just “caught between two behemoths”.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena recently terminated the services of around 400 “specialists” appointed by the Arvind Kejriwal Government, a move the AAP dispensation termed “unconstitutional”