Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Sept 20: High Court today directed for the Action Taken Report (ATR) with regard to the constitution of the Empowered Committee for scrutinizing the cases of daily-wagers of the judiciary and their wages.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice V C Koul directed Government to inform the court about the action taken with regard to the constitution of the Empowered Committee for scrutinizing the cases of daily-wagers in terms of SRO 520 dated 21.12.2017 and the progress, if any.
Court also directed the State authorities to file their complete response with regard to regularization/ absorption of the daily-wagers working in the judicial establishment for a considerable period.
Court directed the Registry to select all relevant and material orders passed in PIL concerning the daily-wagers and to place the photo copies of the same in the leading file separately.
“In these writ petitions, now the court will deal with the issues of creation of requisite class IV posts in the establishment of the High Court and the subordinate judiciary, payment of wages to all class IV employees and for release of necessary funds in connection thereto, entitlement of the daily-wagers for equal pay for equal work at par with other workers discharging similar and equal work and regularization & absorption of the daily-wagers working in the judicial establishment for a considerable period”, Court said.
Court directed that the issue of daily-wagers working in the State Judiciary shall not be taken up and considered in the PIL which was filed for other issues of the judiciary but would remain confined in the writ petitions filed by the aggrieved daily wagers only.
In the presence of the Government officials, upon deliberation in context with regard to the issues of payment of wages and regularization of daily wagers of judiciary, it was decided that the High Court shall constitute an Empowered Committee for scrutinizing the cases of daily-wagers engaged in the State judiciary for their absorption in terms of SRO 520 dated 21.12.2017 and thereafter sent a report in this regard to the Law Department for allocation of requisite funds for the same.
As per the records there are 98 daily-wage workers in the High Court and 228 daily-wage workers in the subordinate courts of the judiciary of the State. “Therefore, the State respondents are duty bound to create an equal number of class IV posts for adjustment of such daily-wage workers”, the court said.
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