Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 11 : High Court today sought intervention of Chief Secretary and directed in-depth inquiry for allowing a woman Anganwadi worker to continue despite her disengagement.
Justice Vinod Chatterji Koul has directed the Chief Secretary, Union Territory of J&K, to get conducted a full-fledged and in-depth inquiry into the matter by the team of officer(s), preferably, headed by Deputy Commissioner concerned or Director, Social Welfare Department, Kashmir or by an officer of same rank and fix the responsibility on the officers/officials who were at the helm of affairs vis-à-vis the instant subject matter and proceed against such officers/officials who are found to have committed the “acts of omission and commission”.
The court directed that the amount of honorarium paid to disengaged Anganganwadi worker shall be deducted from the officers/officials who are found involved in the delinquency. “Let such exercise be undertaken and concluded within a period of eight weeks from today. Compliance to this effect shall be filed within two weeks thereafter. Registry to transmit copy of this order to the Chief Secretary, Union Territory of J&K, forthwith”, Justice Koul directed.
Court said as it is not known how and why official respondents permitted and allowed disengaged Anganwadi worker to continue to work on the post from the date of issuance of disengagement order No. DPO/ B/ Estt/ 2010/2688-91 dated 28th December 2010 till the date of order of status quo passed by a Bench of this Court on 25th February 2014 and it again reflects and suggests volumes, which requires to be dealt with iron hand.
Justice Koul recorded that reply filed by official respondents before the court is a fantastic one which shows and suggests pathetic condition of respondent-Social Welfare Department as at one stage, they contend that engagement of the candidate as Anganwadi Worker was cancelled by virtue of an order passed in the year 2010 and at another stage they contend that in view of challenge thrown by her in a writ petition, she was allowed to continue.
The court insofar as relief sought by petitioner (who was engaged later on the post in question) said, that she will be paid honorarium from the date of issuance of engagement order is concerned, it is directed that dereliction of duties on the part of official respondents has affected the rights of petitioner, so petitioner is held entitled to the benefit of engagement from the date of issuance of her engagement order, i.e. 28th December 2010, but, notionally and monetarily from the date she joins her duties. Respondents, in this regard, shall do well to allow her join her duties forthwith.
It was in the year 2008, applications were invited from eligible candidates for engagement as Anganwadi Worker (AWW) in Anganwari Centre Kanli Mohalla, Doabgagh, Rohama and the petitioner, Zahida Irfan, and private respondent, Shakeela Bano, also applied for the position of AWW. Shakeela Bano was selected as AWW. However, it was brought to the notice of official-respondents by petitioner-Zahida Irfan that respondent-Bano was married to Nasimabad, Sopore, way back in the year 2002 as such is not eligible for the post.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
