Telangana High Court sets April 9 deadline for State govt to clear retirees’ dues
The Telangana High Court has set April 9 as the final deadline for clearing dues of retired government employees, warning of strict action. The Finance Secretary may be required to appear in court if the government fails to comply with its undertaking.
Hyderabad: After providing a long rope with several adjournments over the last six months or so, the Telangana High Court has finally fixed April 9 this year as the final deadline for the Telangana government to clear the dues of all the retired government employees.
Pronouncing this order on Monday evening, Justice Namavarapu Rajeswar Rao said the state Finance Secretary Sandeep Kumar Sultania would have to appear before the court whenever the matter is listed if the government fails to comply with its latest undertaking on the final deadline.
Earlier on Monday morning, Justice Rao refused to entertain the plea of the Government Pleader seeking exemption from the personal appearance of the Finance Secretary for the state government’s failure to comply with the orders of the court to clear the retirement dues of thousands of retired government employees.
According to CR Sukumar, legal counsel for dozens of retired government employees fighting for their retirement benefits, the judge insisted on the appearance of the Finance Secretary at any cost on Monday before the court ended its day’s session. The Government Pleader, who claimed to have filed a petition to dispense with the personal appearance of the Finance Secretary, sought exemption citing the ongoing Assembly sessions, where the Finance Secretary was busy.
The judge, who was furious at the inordinate delays being resorted to by the state government in paying the retired government employees their own hard-earned money, noted that there were reports that more than 80 retired government employees had lost their lives under distress without seeing their own money.
Thousands of retired government employees had approached the High Court over the last two years seeking directions to the Telangana government to clear their retirement benefits such as GPF, commutation, gratuity, earned leave, surrender leave and group insurance, among others. Responding to these petitions, the Telangana High Court had last year ordered the state government to clear the dues within a few weeks, mostly six to ten weeks.
However, with the government failing to comply with the orders of the High Court, hundreds of retired government employees once again knocked on the doors of the High Court seeking to punish the government representatives, including the Finance Secretary, under the provisions of the Contempt of Courts Act, said legal counsel CR Sukumar.
Though more than six months have passed after the contempt petitions were filed and notices were also served on the government representatives, the Government Pleader continued to seek adjournments over the last six months or so for complying with the court’s orders, but in vain.
Furious over the government’s callous attitude in not complying with its orders and also in not responding to its contempt notices, the High Court on the last occasion served “Form One” notices ordering the Finance Secretary Sandeep Kumar Sultania to appear in person before the court and offer an explanation for the government’s failure to comply with the orders.
Finally, appearing online before the High Court on Monday evening minutes before the court concluded its day’s session, the Finance Secretary Sandeep Kumar Sultania gave an undertaking that the government would set aside its other priorities and clear all the dues of the retired government employees by March 31 if the court insisted. However, he said the government would be more comfortable if 30 more days were given to clear the dues.
According to legal counsel CR Sukumar, the Finance Secretary Sultania submitted to the court that the dues of around 3,656 retired government employees were recorded, and the government has so far cleared the dues of around 1,056 retired government employees following the court’s orders, while dues of around 2,600 retired staff are still pending.
Refusing to grant 30 days as sought by the Finance Secretary to clear the dues, Justice Namavarapu Rajeswar Rao said the court would grant time till April 9 for the Telangana government to clear the retirement dues. “Otherwise, the Finance Secretary will have to appear before the court whenever the matters are posted for hearing,” said Justice Rao, to which the Finance Secretary Sandeep Kumar Sultania agreed. “It is their own money. Give the good news for all the retired government employees by April 9,” ordered Justice Rao.
