Thaindian News

Gandhinagar, June 14 (IANS) The Gujarat High Court Tuesday pulled up the state government for inaction on a Supreme Court directive regarding pay hike to judicial officers in the state recommended by the sixth pay commission.

The bench comprising Chief Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya and Justice J.B. Pardiwala directed the state government’s three senior officials - two additional chief secretaries and the legal secretary - to personally appear in the court June 20 to explain their lapse in following the apex court order.

The court was hearing a group of petitions challenging the state’s inaction to implement the pay commission’s recommendations in respect to officers, and class III and IV employees working in the state judiciary.

The judges allowed the government a week’s time to take corrective and follow up measures to comply with the order.

The next hearing has been posted for June 20.

The court also segregated matter pertaining to issue of wage rise of class III and IV employees working in the judiciary and posted it for July 7.

The court on May 6 had directed the government to constitute a cell to deal with matters relating to court and judicial officers.

The central government had revised the pay scale of judicial officers of the state by a notification June 26, 2009. However, the benefits of revised pay scale were not given to the officers posted at labour courts or industrial courts though it was provided to the members of Gujarat state judicial service.

The Supreme Court had also directed the state to raise pay scales and allowances of the judicial officers with effect from Jan 1, 2006.

Arrears were ordered to be paid, 60 percent by cash spread over two financial years and 40 percent by depositing in their provident fund account.