Contempt of court: Unpaid teachers seek contempt proceedings against KMC chief
Dozens of teachers have taken the high-ups to court for not honouring their undertaking.
In April 2012, the education director with the approval of the municipal commissioner had stopped the payment of salaries to nearly 87 teachers on the basis of a chargesheet prepared by the officials. Later, all the teachers were paid except the 46 without any reason or show cause notice, the lawyer alleged. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
The Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued contempt notices to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) commissioner, administrator, director of education department and others over their failure to release salaries of 46 primary school teachers.
Zulfiqar Ali and his 45 colleagues had taken them to the court for not paying salaries despite an earlier undertaking in the court. The petitioners’ lawyer, Subhat Ali Lund, said the appointments have been made in different years since 2009 on a basic pay scale-7 by the KMC’s education department. Moreover, the jobs were also regularised.
In April 2012, the education director with the approval of the municipal commissioner had stopped the payment of salaries to nearly 87 teachers on the basis of a chargesheet prepared by the officials. Later, all the teachers were paid except the 46 without any reason or show cause notice, the lawyer alleged.
A KMC law officer had informed the bench on May 2 that the competent authority was in the process of verifying the petitioners’ claim for salaries. The court was also assured that a report in this regard would be submitted to the court within a month, the lawyer said.
Lund claimed that neither the issue had been resolved nor a report was submitted to the court despite a lapse of considerable time, which amounts to willfully and deliberately committing contempt of the court’s order.
On Wednesday, the lawyer pleaded to the court to initiate contempt proceedings against the “alleged contemnors”. He also requested for fixing an early date of hearing.
Allowing the request, the judges ordered the issuance of notice to the “alleged contemnors” for July 30 with direction to file their reply by the next date. The bench also ordered the KMC officials concerned to submit their report, as promised on May 2, or give a proper explanation, if such report is not ready.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 26th, 2013.
The Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued contempt notices to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) commissioner, administrator, director of education department and others over their failure to release salaries of 46 primary school teachers.
Zulfiqar Ali and his 45 colleagues had taken them to the court for not paying salaries despite an earlier undertaking in the court. The petitioners’ lawyer, Subhat Ali Lund, said the appointments have been made in different years since 2009 on a basic pay scale-7 by the KMC’s education department. Moreover, the jobs were also regularised.
In April 2012, the education director with the approval of the municipal commissioner had stopped the payment of salaries to nearly 87 teachers on the basis of a chargesheet prepared by the officials. Later, all the teachers were paid except the 46 without any reason or show cause notice, the lawyer alleged.
A KMC law officer had informed the bench on May 2 that the competent authority was in the process of verifying the petitioners’ claim for salaries. The court was also assured that a report in this regard would be submitted to the court within a month, the lawyer said.
Lund claimed that neither the issue had been resolved nor a report was submitted to the court despite a lapse of considerable time, which amounts to willfully and deliberately committing contempt of the court’s order.
On Wednesday, the lawyer pleaded to the court to initiate contempt proceedings against the “alleged contemnors”. He also requested for fixing an early date of hearing.
Allowing the request, the judges ordered the issuance of notice to the “alleged contemnors” for July 30 with direction to file their reply by the next date. The bench also ordered the KMC officials concerned to submit their report, as promised on May 2, or give a proper explanation, if such report is not ready.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 26th, 2013.