HC orders north corporation to clear salary, pension dues

The bench of justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli, during the hearing, also criticised the Delhi government for not releasing funds to the civic agencies, thereby deepening the crisis.

The Delhi high court on Monday ordered the North Delhi Municipal Corporation to immediately pay the remuneration owed to more than 80,000 of its employees and pensioners, refusing to give the civic body more time to clear the over ₹400 crore amount due.

Delhi High Court.(Mint file)

The bench of justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli, during the hearing, also criticised the Delhi government for not releasing funds to the civic agencies, thereby deepening the crisis.

The court was hearing a plea by the north corporation, which sought more time to release payments to its employees and pensioners. It asked for modification of the court’s March 9 order, by which the three MCDs were ordered to clear salary, arrear and pension dues by April 5.

“The right of the employees to salaries is a fundamental and non-payment directly impinges on their right to life and liberty,” said the court while dismissing the argument of the civic body on the fund crunch.

Advocate Divya Prakash Pande, representing the north civic body, had submitted that one of the reasons of the fund crunch was non-payment of dues by the Delhi government.

According to the civic body’s application, it has approximately 57,202 employees (including both permanent and daily wage workers) and approximately 24,853 pensioners.

The court also pulled up the Delhi government.

“You cannot shrug off your responsibility. There are full page advertisements everyday with pictures of politicians...From where the money is coming? We cannot ignore this,” the bench told senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, who appeared for the Delhi government.