Army asks ‘ousted’ ECHS officer to rejoin following court’s rap

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 2

The Army has asked the officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Ex-servicemen’s Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) polyclinic in Chandigarh, whose contract was not being extended earlier, to rejoin his duties following a rap by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. 

He is expected to join duty tomorrow after receiving a letter to this effect from the Station Headquarters, Chandimandir.

The officer, Col KVPS Hundal (retd), had filed a contempt petition before the high court after he was ‘forcibly’ removed from his office by Army authorities even though the high court had ordered a stay on the dispensing away of his services on the expiry of the contractual period.

Col Hundal had been engaged as the OIC of the polyclinic on a contractual basis for 12 months from November 8, 2018, to November 7, 2019. A letter issued by the Station Headquarters, Chandimandir, on November 7, 2019, stated that the extension of the tenure beyond November 7 had not been approved and his employment hence stood terminated.

On November 7, a single Bench of the high court, comprising Justice Arun Monga, had ordered that status quo shall be maintained qua services of Col Hundal as on date a day prior to the last date of expiry of the contract. He had also sent copies of the orders to the Station Headquarters a day before the expiry of the contract.

He had moved the high court on November 6, a day before the contract was to end. He has contended that the one-year term is extendable by another year and if there is nothing adverse against a person, a contractual employee cannot be replaced by another contractual employee. He also said he was not given any prior notice about the contract not being renewed, but issued the letter on the last day.