Withholding teachers’ salaries: SC wants Punjab govt to take names
AG to take action against officials for giving false statements in court.
ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Court has asked the Punjab government for details of officers who withheld salaries of teachers of Punjab Colleges Pilot Project within two weeks.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will hear the suo motu case on nonpayment of salaries to teachers in his chamber from now onwards. Advocate General Punjab Khawaja Harris contended that teachers were paid their salaries on time and a news item which reported otherwise was concocted. He said teachers of seven colleges had refused to receive salaries in accordance with the new system.
He informed the bench that teachers have been paid their salaries on the court’s direction.
The chief justice remarked that if the news story was fabricated, the newspaper owner would be served a notice. He asked Harris to take action against officials for giving false statements in court.
He said the advocate general’s and additional advocate general’s (AAG) statements were contradictory. A day earlier, the AAG had contended colleges were asked to constitute a board to introduce a four-year graduation course but teachers had obtained a stay order on the project’s implementation from the high court.
The chief justice had also said the apex court was aware of the issues faced by railway employees and lady health workers and would be forced to intercede if the government failed to disburse salaries. The case was adjourned for two weeks.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 20th, 2011.
The Supreme Court has asked the Punjab government for details of officers who withheld salaries of teachers of Punjab Colleges Pilot Project within two weeks.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will hear the suo motu case on nonpayment of salaries to teachers in his chamber from now onwards. Advocate General Punjab Khawaja Harris contended that teachers were paid their salaries on time and a news item which reported otherwise was concocted. He said teachers of seven colleges had refused to receive salaries in accordance with the new system.
He informed the bench that teachers have been paid their salaries on the court’s direction.
The chief justice remarked that if the news story was fabricated, the newspaper owner would be served a notice. He asked Harris to take action against officials for giving false statements in court.
He said the advocate general’s and additional advocate general’s (AAG) statements were contradictory. A day earlier, the AAG had contended colleges were asked to constitute a board to introduce a four-year graduation course but teachers had obtained a stay order on the project’s implementation from the high court.
The chief justice had also said the apex court was aware of the issues faced by railway employees and lady health workers and would be forced to intercede if the government failed to disburse salaries. The case was adjourned for two weeks.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 20th, 2011.