Punjab and Haryana High Court Freezes Salary of Five Education Officials for Contempt of Court

Panchkula: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has taken a strict stance against Haryana’s education department for failing to implement orders passed 16 years ago. The court has ordered the freezing of salaries for five officials, including two IAS officers. The officials affected by the order are Director of Secondary Education (DSE) Jitender Kumar, Director of Primary Education Ripu Daman Singh Dhillon, and three District Education Officers (DEOs) from Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, and Hisar – Rohitash Verma, Dharmendra Kumar, and Pradeep Narwal.

Background of the Case:
Justice Harkesh Manuja passed the order while hearing a contempt petition filed by Tejpal Walia and others. The petitioners had approached the High Court in 2007 seeking directions regarding their promotions within the education department. The court had issued an order in 2008, but the department failed to implement it, denying the petitioners the benefits of their promotions. In 2018, the Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s order in favor of the petitioners.

Court’s Actions:
The petitioners’ lawyers informed the court that, despite the clear order, the education department continued to withhold the petitioners’ rightful promotions and benefits. The High Court noted that, since 2008, the petitioners had been entitled to “actual resultant benefits” rather than speculative ones. The court had previously given multiple opportunities to the department to comply with the orders, but no action was taken by the officials, leading to repeated adjournments of the case.

Court’s Stern Order:
In light of the deliberate defiance of the court’s orders, the High Court ordered the salary freeze of the five officials. The court has set the next hearing for December 13, when the matter will be reviewed further.