Doctor not paid for months, HC terms it unfortunate

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 29

A frontline health worker has not been paid his salary even during the Covid pandemic. In his petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the doctor, presently working as senior resident at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Rohtak, has claimed that his salary has been pending for several months.

Describing the matter as quite regrettable, Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal directed his previous place of working to complete all formalities before sending the requisite papers to the respondent-institute within two weeks. The institute was directed to release outstanding salary within a one week thereafter.

Taking up the matter through video-conferencing, Justice Grewal asserted: “He has admittedly not been paid salary for the last several months, which is rather unfortunate. He is being made to run around several departments for completing the papers.”

The matter was brought to Justice Grewal’s notice after Dr Vijay Ahlawat filed a petition against Haryana and other respondents, seeking a direction to release his salary from June 2019.

His counsel told the court that the petitioner was an HCMS doctor. His service book was with the Civil Hospital at Charkhi Dadri, where he was previously employed. The institute was insisting on his last pay certificate before disbursing salary. The counsel contended that all documents available with the petitioner had been handed over to the respondents.

Justice Grewal’s Bench, during the course of hearing, was told that that the institute had written to the Civil Hospital to send the relevant documents, including last pay certificate, so that salary could be disbursed. Arguing on the institute’s behalf, the counsel contended that the petitioner was earlier on extraordinary leave and salary yet to be paid was for the last three or four months.

Before parting with the order, Justice Grewal asserted that the respondent-institute had written to the respondent-hospital to provide all relevant documents, including service book. It was, as such, necessary to issue directions to the respondent-hospital to complete the necessary formalities and forward the requisite papers to respondent-institute for disbursal of the petitioner’s salary.

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