New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi government and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College to look into the matter of timely payment of salary, other emoluments and reimbursement of medical bills without any delay and on priority.
Justice Jyoti Singh was hearing a petition filed by associate professors and professors of the college, which is a constituent college of the University of Delhi. The college receives 100 percent grant-in-aid from the Government of NCT of Delhi. The petition seeks the release of their salaries, including medical bills and other benefits which have not been disbursed since May 2020.
Justice Singh noted:
“Both the authorities are blaming each other, instead of ensuring that the salary and the other benefits of the employees are released on time.”
Advocate Beena Shaw Soni for the college submitted that the College is not able to make the payments, because funds it is supposed to get have not been released.
Advocate Jawahar Raja, Additional Standing Counsel for the Delhi government, admitted that the college receives 100 percent grant-in-aid from the Government of NCT of Delhi. He also informed the court that a special audit is now underway of the college and it has been observed that the fee of the students is being diverted into a student society fund and that the college has substantial resources to meet the expenses of the college, including the salary and emoluments of the teachers as well as non-teaching staff.
Soni, however, argued that the students’ fund is not meant to pay for staff emoluments. That payment is only made from the grant-in-aid received from the Government of NCT of Delhi.
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The bench noted:
“The net result of this blame game is that the petitioners have been deprived of not only their salaries and other emoluments with effect from May 2020, but also other essentials such as reimbursement of medical bills, etc.”
The bench has listed the matter for further consideration on October 6.
Read the order here;
94993-2020-India Legal Bureau