Non-payment of salaries to staff: HC asks MCD, senior officers to appear

NEW DELHI: Delhi High Court on Monday termed as ''unfortunate'' non-payment of salaries to MCD employees and pensioners and directed the civic body's commissioner and senior officers of the city government to appear before it.

A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad sought the personal appearance of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) commissioner and secretaries of the Finance and Urban Development departments of the Delhi government on February 2.

''It is unfortunate that Class III and Class IV employees, teachers and other employees of MCD are not paid salaries despite an assurance given by the authorities to this court. It is also unfortunate that even pensioners are not getting their pensions and are left hand to mouth.

''This court is left with no other option but to call for the personal appearance of the commissioner of MCD and the finance secretary and urban development secretary of the Delhi government,'' the bench said.

It observed that the authorities have not paid salaries of ''these poor people''.

The high court was informed by advocates Ashok Agarwal and Utkarsh Kumar, representing petitioner teachers, that they have not been paid for two to three months and the inaction on the corporation's part is in violation of their fundamental right to livelihood.

The high court noted in its order that on December 12, the counsel for Delhi government and the MCD had jointly stated that all payments would be released expeditiously but nothing has been done.

The high court had earlier also termed the non-payment of salaries to teachers as ''strange'' and ''unfortunate'' and had warned that it would order stoppage of salaries to senior officers till the time teachers are paid their wages.

It was hearing a batch of pleas relating to the non-payment of salaries and pensions to MCD employees and retired staff respectively.