HC asks DSGMC-run schools to pay Rs 10k extra per month to teachers for default' in salary

The Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) to pay an additional Rs 10,000 for each month of delayed salary payment to teachers of its schools in the national capital.

Many of the teachers were no paid salaries in the DSGMC-run schools since January this year.

Justice C Hari Shankar directed the DSGMC and its schools to "continue payments of salary and other emoluments, to which petitioners (teachers) are entitled, on a monthly basis, during pendency of the petitions (seeking implementation of Seventh Pay Commission)."

The order, passed on April 27 in proceedings held via video conferencing, came on applications moved by several teachers in their respective petitions seeking implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission.

In their applications, the teachers had said that they have not been paid salaries from January 2020 to March 2020.

The court said that it had earlier on August 22, 2019, in its order had said that in case of default in salary payment, the schools would have to pay 10,000 per month extra to the petitioners.

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"In as much respondents (DSGMC and the schools) are in default of the said fees, the order, dated August 22, 2019, passed in the present proceedings, would kick into action and the respondents would also be liable to pay an additional amount of Rs 10,000 per month to the petitioners," the court said and listed the matters for hearing on May 13.

During the proceedings, advocate Jasmeet Singh, appearing for DSGMC, said parents of several students are in default of fees and that is why the teachers were not paid.

However, the teachers have claimed that the schools have already collected tuition fees from students till March 2020, but are pleading absence of funds to avoid paying their salaries.

Earlier on April 24, a division bench of the high court in similar matters involving five DSGMC-run schools had directed that salary arrears be paid in two weeks.

The court had also said "there can be no justification for non-payment of salaries" when fees was being charged from the students. 

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