Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 20: Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has issued contempt notices against Commissioner Secretary Higher Education, Director Colleges, Nodal Principal and Principals of Government Degree Colleges and Govt College for Women Parade Jammu for violation of its orders.
The petitioners Meenakshi Devi and others, who are working as Lecturers and Teaching Assistant on academic arrangement in different Government Degree Colleges/ Autonomous Colleges of Jammu Division, filed a contempt petition before the Central Administrative Tribunal for violation of the orders dated 25.06.2020 and 19.08.2020 passed by the Tribunal in their favour.
The petitioners through Advocate Nitin Bhasin submitted before the bench that the Tribunal vide order dated 25.06.2020 had directed maintaining status-quo regarding the services of the petitioners and the same was extended on 19.08.2020 but the respondents by violating the the orders issued a communication dated 24.08.2020 for consideration of the re-engagement of the petitioners who have obtained better merit and are coming in consideration Zone of engagement on need basis.
It was also submitted that despite protection granted by the Tribunal, some of the petitioners are not being allowed to continue and replaced by other candidates, while the others are not being allowed to perform duties and forced to furnish undertaking under new guidelines for altering their service status.
The petitioners also submitted that more than 100 writ petitions involving the similar controversy have been filed by the Lecturers/Teaching Assistants in the Kashmir Division and interim orders have been issued by the High Court protecting the status of the petitioners therein.
In the month of March 2020 when the academic session was commenced in Kashmir Division, the Director Colleges, issued a communication dated 05.03.2020 to the Nodal Principal, Govt College for Women, M A Road and informed that since the Higher Education Department is committed to honor the court orders, the respective College Principals are advised to utilize the services of the respective candidates as academic arrangement teachers for the session 2020-21 who have obtained court directions and accordingly all the candidates with court directions were allowed to continue for the session 2020-21.
But the similar directions issued by the Tribunal in favour of the petitioners are being openly violated by the respondents/Director Colleges by issuance of communication dated 24.08.2020.
After considering the matter, the Tribunal issued notices to Commissioner Secretary Higher Education, Director Colleges, Nodal Principal and Principals of Govt. Degree Colleges/ Govt College for Women Parade Jammu to show cause as to why action under Contempt of Court Act, 1971 be not taken against them.
The Tribunal has fixed the matter for 25.09.2020.
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