Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Dec 13: High Court has turned down the plea of hundreds of para-medics appointed during COVID-19 pandemic seeking continuation of their services.
About 115 employees approached the court seeking direction for continuation of their services on contractual basis. Justice M A Chowdhary dismissed their plea by recording that once the Government has decided to close down the temporary hospitals, established in view of emergency related to Covid-19 pandemic, authorities cannot be asked to continue their services as contractual employees without any work or their need.
In so far as the relief with regard to release of incentives for the period of work during Covid pandemic, Court left it open for the authorities to consider the same in their favour. These employees were seeking release Ayushman as well as COVID incentives in terms of the Notification No. 01-HME of 2019 dated 19.01.2019 in their favour.
“The petition is dismissed to the extent of the relief asking for continuation of the petitioners for a period of three years, whereas, the petition is allowed to the extent of other reliefs, directing the respondents to release Ayushman as well as covid incentives in terms of the Notification No. 01-HME of 2019 dated 19.01.2019 in favour of the petitioners and also to consider the condition to incorporate “05 numbers” as weightage in the future Advertisement Notices for the posts for which the petitioners had rendered their services to the Government under ECRP Programme, as contractual staff”, reads the judgment.
“The petitioners were engaged on contractual basis just for the period of one year and extension of six months was granted to them, however, in view of COVID-19 pandemic being over, the temporary COVID hospitals, set up by the Government, were closed down and thereafter the permanent staff was repatriated back to their cadres, whereas the services of the contractual staff was discontinued beyond their engagement of one year and on extension of six months upto 31.12.2022”, Court clarified.
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