CAT issues notice on contempt petition by contractual faculty

The Chandigarh bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal has issued a notice to Secretary Education, Chandigarh Administration, for January 28, 2025, on a contempt petition filed by over 60 contractual faculty of various government colleges.

In the petition filed through advocate Rohit Seth faculty working as Assistant Professors in the colleges said the tribunal, in its order passed on July 22, had directed the administration to take decision on their demand for revising the pay scales in a time-bound manner, especially when the matter was already pending before the authority .

The tribunal disposed of the application of the faculty with the direction to the respondents to decide the claim of the applicants within eight weeks of receiving the order of the tribunal.

They said the respondents in the reply filed before the tribunal said the issue of revision of the pay and their applicability was being examined and as and when the same was decided it would be conveyed to the applicants.

In the original application, the contractual faculty have sought the direction to the administration to revise their pay scales due from January 1, 2016, in pursuance to instructions of the government issued from time to time and grant arrears from due date with interest thereupon at the rate of 12% till the actual payment.

They said the applicants forwarded a certified copy of the order dated July 22, 2024, to the respondents. The deadline to comply with the order passed by the tribunal expired on September 20.

They said since the respondents did not comply with the order and directions passed by the tribunal, the applicants submitted another reminder on October 28. The applicants in the reminder stated that neither the order had been implemented nor any updates had been provided to them.

They said the sequence of events shows that the respondents have willfully and deliberately defeated the purpose and object of passing of order by the tribunal by not complying with the same with an aim and object to defeat the claim of applicants.

The action of respondents has compelled the applicants for filing of present contempt and to be proceeded under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1972, read with provisions framed under the Administrative Tribunal Act, 1985.