The Punjab and Haryana high court has granted three weeks' time to the Punjab government to take a final call on implementing the pension scheme formulated for lecturers of government-aided private colleges.
The directions came from the division bench headed by chief justice Arjan Kumar Sikri on a bunch of petitions filed by Narinder Singh Tuli and others. The petitioners had contended that the state government had notified the 'Privately managed affiliated and Punjab government-aided colleges, pensionary scheme, 1996', which was to come into effect from April 1, 1992, but it was still to see the light of day. There are 136 government-aided private colleges in Punjab.
During resumed hearing of the case on Monday, the state education secretary, who was present in the court on earlier court directions, told the court that the proposal for implementing the pension scheme had been finalised and would soon be placed before the council of ministers for the final approval.
However, the court also observed that the authorities concerned were playing delaying tactics for reasons best known to them. Earlier, the court had said that the government could not "get away and back out from the undertaking which it had given from time to time to this court for enforcement of the pension scheme."
{{/usCountry}}However, the court also observed that the authorities concerned were playing delaying tactics for reasons best known to them. Earlier, the court had said that the government could not "get away and back out from the undertaking which it had given from time to time to this court for enforcement of the pension scheme."
{{/usCountry}}The petitioners had also informed the court that the Punjab education department had issued a circular on February 14, 1996, to the director of public instructions, referring to the pension scheme and saying that it should be implemented by government-aided schools. But, the scheme has not been implemented till date in case of government-aided private colleges in the state, it was stated.
The case has now been adjourned for hearing on December 17.