Allowance: Finance secretary issued contempt of court notice

LAHORE: Lahore High Court has issued a contempt notice to Finance Secretary Muhammad Yousaf Khan for not paying arrears of 50 per cent judicial allowance and 50 per cent ad hoc relief to employees of the Lahore High Court.

Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah heard the plea seeking 50 per cent payment of judicial allowance and ad hoc relief. Counsel for the petitioners told the court that the provincial government had not paid them arrears of 50 per cent allowance since July 1, 2010, despite court orders.

The finance secretary said that the provincial government had challenged the LHC order in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which will be heard on January15. Justice Shah asked him if the SC had granted a stay order in this regard.

The secretary replied that it had not. The judge then termed the reply unsatisfactory and issued a contempt of court notice. The judge observed that the court would issue orders to stop payment of salaries to the Finance Department if the issue was not solved on priority basis.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 14^th, 2015.