Haryana Government Fined Rs 1 Lakh by High Court

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the Haryana government for failing to properly examine cases of temporary employees seeking service regularization under the 2003 policy. The division bench, comprising Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal and Justice Lapita Banerjee, criticized the state government for hastily filing an appeal against a single bench's orders without first reviewing the employees' cases.

In April this year, instead of complying with the single bench's directives to examine the regularization cases, the state government rushed to file an appeal before the high court. The division bench, while dismissing the government's appeal, found no illegality in the single bench's order, which had simply directed the examination of employees' cases for regularization benefits if they were found eligible. 

The court emphasized that the competent authority had the freedom to reject cases if employees were deemed ineligible for regularization, provided detailed reasons were given for such decisions. "The government's approach of approaching the court with an appeal instead of considering the respondents' cases for regularization as per their policy is completely wrong," the bench observed. 

The court's decision underscores the importance of following proper administrative procedures and respecting judicial directives in matters concerning employee welfare. The fine serves as a reminder to the state government about its responsibilities towards its workforce and the necessity of following due process in administrative matters.