NEW DELHI: Terming it as ‘unfortunate’ over the unpaid salaries to teachers, sanitation workers, and various employees, the Delhi High Court on Monday asked the Commissioner of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and senior officers of the city government to appear before it.
Expressing concern over the non-payment of salaries to the employees, a division bench presided over by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and comprising Justice Subramonium Prasad asked the top officials to be personally present in the court on February 2.
“It is unfortunate that Class III and Class IV employees, teachers, and other employees of MCD are not paid salaries despite an assurance given by the authorities to this court. It is also unfortunate that even pensioners are not getting their pensions and are left hand to mouth,” the court said.
It added that the court is left with no other option but to call for the personal appearance of the commissioner of MCD and the finance secretary and urban development secretary of the Delhi government.
Appearing for the petitioner teachers, Advocates Ashok Agarwal and Utkarsh Kumar said they have not been paid for two to three months and the inaction on the corporation’s part is in violation of their fundamental right to livelihood.
As per the petitioners, over 5000 EDMC teachers did not receive salaries for the past three months. It was also observed by the court that on December 12, the city government and the MCD had jointly stated that all payments would be released expeditiously but nothing has been done.
Earlier also, the high court had come heavily on the city government, terming the non-payment of salaries to teachers as “strange” and “unfortunate” and had warned that it would order stoppage of salaries to senior officers till the time teachers are paid their wages.