HC issues contempt notice to Punjab Chief Secretary over "false statement" in DA arrears case

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday issued a notice to Punjab Chief Secretary K A P Sinha, asking why criminal contempt proceedings should not be started against him for making what it termed a "prima facie false statement" in a case over pending dearness allowance (DA) for state employees and pensioners.

A bench of Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor directed the chief secretary to be present on Friday, the next date of hearing.

The notice followed a report by the High Court registry, obtained from the Supreme Court registry, on the status of the state's appeal. It showed that defects in Punjab's appeal in the Supreme Court have not been removed, which contradicted the chief secretary's stand that they had been cured.

Petitioners' counsel Sunny Singla said the court took note of the report and issued the notice over the alleged "false statement".

On Monday, the bench had asked the registry to immediately get the report from the Supreme Court. It had also rapped the state government for what it called "hide and seek" with the court, observing that an appeal filed on September 1 could have been heard by now and suggesting the aim was to buy time under the cover of seeking a legal remedy. The state's counsel insisted on Monday that the defects had been cured and the appeal was in order, a claim the petitioners emphatically denied.

The court is hearing pleas over non-compliance with its August 3 order. That order directed Punjab to release all pending DA and dearness relief instalments to its employees and pensioners within a fortnight, at the rates paid to All India Services officers (IAS, IPS and IFS) serving in the state, on the Central government pattern. It also said that until the dues are cleared, the state should avoid unproductive spending such as large-scale advertising campaigns in print or social media. Unpaid amounts would carry simple interest at six per cent a year if not paid on time.

Punjab filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court on September 1, arguing that the direction to pay arrears totalling around Rs 14,191 crore in so short a period was constitutionally impossible. At the previous hearing on September 10, the High Court had noted that defects in the petition had not been removed.

with inputs from PTI