Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], October 27 : The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday heard a case concerning the pending Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears of Punjab government employees and pensioners and took a stern view of the state government’s failure to comply with its orders.
The hearing was held on a contempt petition filed by Nirmal Singh Dhillon, a retired Chief Engineer of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), over the alleged non-compliance with court directions regarding Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR).
During the hearing before the bench of Justice Harsh Bunger, the counsel representing the employees submitted that the Punjab government was adopting delaying tactics to avoid implementing the High Court’s orders. The counsel also pointed out that the Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the state government before the Supreme Court had remained on the defect list for more than two months.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the High Court imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the Punjab Chief Secretary for non-compliance with its orders. The court also directed the Chief Secretary to file a personal affidavit explaining why the High Court’s directions had not been implemented.
During the proceedings, the court made strong observations and questioned why the government had withheld DA/DR benefits from employees but had not similarly withheld the benefits of its senior officials.
The High Court has directed the Chief Secretary of Punjab to appear personally before it on November 3, 2026, the next date of hearing.