Non-payment of salary to contract teachers despite “status quo” in various Government Colleges- HC issues contempt notice to DPI (Colleges) and concerned Principals- DPI (Colleges) Punjab, Sector-17, Chandigarh also directed to appear personally:-
Acting upon 5 different applications filed by 10 contractual lecturers of four different Government Colleges (namely Government College for Girls, Patiala; Govt. Mohindera College, Patiala; Professor Gursewak Singh Government College of Physical Education, Patiala; and Shaheed Udham Singh Government College, Sunam), alleging that despite grant of “status quo” orders in their favour, they have not been paid salary thereafter (and in one case, they were paid salary for March, and April, 2011, but at much reduced rates), Justice Permod Kohli today issued notices for 27 May. to the respondents (including the DPI Colleges, Punjab and the concerned Principals) directing them to explain as to why contempt proceedings be not initiated against them for not complying with the “status quo” orders; Justice Kohli further directed that DPI (Colleges) shall personally come present in the Court on 27 May.
In all these civil writ petitions, the High Court had granted “status quo” orders to concerned petitioners, and adjourned the cases to August 16th for further hearings; however, the respondent Principals did not pay salary to the petitioners, who are employed as Lecturers on contract-basis, though they were not formally relieved; In one case of Government College, Sunam, the Principal reduced salary of petitioner-College Lecturers from Rs.9000/- to Rs. 6000/- for March, and to around Rs.3300/- for April, 2011.