Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 15: Chief Justice of State High Court, Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar today directed the State to pay allowance to Home Guards equivalent to the police personnel.
The order was passed in a bunch of petitions seeking direction to the respondents not to discharge/dismiss the petitioners from their service as Home Guards and regularize the services of the petitioners or absorb them permanently in the department instead of re-engaging them from time to time.
After hearing Senior Advocate Surinder Kour appearing for the petitioners, Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar observed, “the petitioner have joined the Home Guards service of the Jammu and Kashmir Government and are discharging their duties for the last more than eight years to the utmost satisfaction of their seniors and there is nothing against them”.
“The petitioners also possess the due eligibility for being appointed as Home Guards and have also undergone the requisite training. The petitioners have worked in the department for maintenance of law and order as well as in anti-militancy operations during the period of militancy and have faced all odds bravely and successfully”, High Court said, adding “the petitioners are being paid a meager amount of Rs 22 per day and in one month they have to work for 22 days. They are called for duty/training for five months only in a year”.
“Even a Class IV employee who renders 240 days service in the department cannot be thrown out as a right has been created in his favour and since the petitioners have rendered more than eight years of service in the department, therefore, their services cannot be terminated and they are entitled to be regularized/absorbed”, Chief Justice said.
While disposing of the petition, Chief Justice directed the State to pay the petitioners the duty allowance at such rates, total of which 30 days (a month) comes to minimum of the pay to which the police personnel of State are entitled. “Necessary orders in this regard shall be passed within a period of two months”, the Chief Justice said.
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