A contempt petition has been filed against the Punjab government for its failure to release the pending Dearness Allowance (FA) arrears to its employees and pensioners.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the Punjab government on August 3 to release all pending Dearness Allowance (DA)/Dearness Relief (DR) installments to all its employees and pensioners within a fortnight.
The contempt petition was filed after more than two weeks lapsed seeking action against Punjab Chief Secretary Kumar Anugreh Prasad Sinha; Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) Alok Shekhar; Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), Basant Garg; and Under Secretary (Finance) Saroj.
The HC bench had also directed that if the payment was not made within the stipulated period, the unpaid amounts would carry simple interest at six percent per annum from the date the deadline expired until actual realisation.
The court had also asked the state Chief Secretary to file a compliance report by way of an affidavit before the Registry by August 31, 2026.
The petitioners that include the retired as well as current working employees of Punjab have alleged that despite the HC’s order to release the pending DA/DR (Dearness Relief) installments within a fortnight, the authorities have failed to implement the order and instead issued instructions restricting its implementation. The fortnightly period prescribed by the court expired on August 17.
The matter came up for hearing before Justice Harsh Bunger on Friday, but the Punjab govt sought time to file a status report and/or compliance report.
The court is now scheduled to hear the case on September 27, next month.
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