CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Wednesday declined to interfere with a Single Judge’s directive to the State Government to pay home guards `533 as daily duty call allowance.
However, allowing the Government’s writ appeal in part, the division bench of Chief Justice Mohammad Rafiq and Justice BR Sarangi directed that the arrears shall be payable to the home guards only from January 2020 instead of November 10, 2016 as directed by the Single Judge.
There are 16,894 home guards in the State who are not paid a monthly salary, but they get duty call allowance on daily basis. In January 2018, the State Government had enhanced their allowance from `240 to `300 per day.
Justice Biswanath Rath on February 28, 2020 had directed for payment of `533 per day to home guards taking into consideration the remuneration paid to constables in the lowest rank of police personnel from November 10, 2016 and pending decision thereon, to pay them provisionally at the rate of minimum `500 per day from January, 2020.
Justice Rath had issued the direction on a petition filed by three home guards Prakash Kumar Jena, Prasanna Kumar Behera and Lokanath Mohanta seeking intervention for implementation of a 2015 Supreme Court order on remuneration of home guards. The Government was expected to implement the order within three months.
A contempt petition was filed when the HC’s direction was not implemented. The Government on the other hand challenged the Single Judge’s order by way of a writ appeal.
While advocate Satyabrata Mohanty argued the case on behalf of the home guards, the HC completed hearing on the writ appeal and reserved judgment on August 6.
While delivering the judgment on Wednesday, the division bench directed the Government to pay the allowance within a period of three months.