ibn sultan
New Delhi, Mar10: The Supreme Court has strongly criticised the Jammu and Kashmir administration for failing to implement a 2007 High Court order directing the regularisation of daily wage workers.
The top court said the case was a “textbook example” of government authorities acting as if they were above the law, Bar and Bench reported.A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh expressed shock over the inaction of government officials, calling their behaviour “prima facie contemptuous.” Bar and Bench quoted the court as saying, “The inaction of the officers of the petitioner – Union Territory, who took about 16 years to comply with a simpliciter High Court order, is shocking.”
The case dates back to 2006, when a group of daily wage workers approached the High Court, seeking permanent employment and proper wages under SRO 64 of 1994. The High Court ruled in their favor in 2007. However, instead of complying, the administration challenged the decision in the Supreme Court.
Dismissing the appeal, the Supreme Court observed that the workers had been repeatedly harassed with vague orders that ignored the spirit of the 2007 judgment. The court also considered imposing penalties and recommending disciplinary action against responsible officials but refrained, as contempt proceedings were already pending in the High Court.
Bar and Bench quoted the court as saying, “We request the learned single judge to take up the contempt proceedings on a weekly basis and ensure that the majesty and sanctity of law is well maintained.”
Advocate Rushab Aggarwal represented the Union Territory, while advocate Soayib Qureshi appeared for the employees.(Agencies)
