Warrant issued against devp and panchayat director

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court (HC) has issued bailable warrants against director development and panchayat department, Haryana, for failing to comply with the court’s directions.

The order has been passed by the HC bench of justice PB Bajanthri in a petition in which the court had directed the government to clear retiral dues of art and craft teachers.

The HC had passed the orders in this regard on October 13, 2014, July 27, 2015 and May 11, 2017.

On May 11, the HC had asked the director development and panchayat department to comply with the order failing which he would have to remain present on May 18.

However, during the hearing on Thursday, the government counsel did not have any instructions and neither was the officer present.

The petition was filed in September 2014 in which it was alleged that petitioner teachers had not been paid any other retiral dues except GPF amount.

They had also not been paid the difference in salary on account of pay revision.

Later, it had come to light that besides, 17 odd petitioners, there were other employees of different panchayat samitis, who had not been paid their retiral dues.

Later, the government had paid the dues to some employees, but a considerable number of teachers were still to be paid.