SHILLONG, JUNE 30: The Meghalaya High Court has directed to continue the payment of the Hill Area Special Allowance (HASA) to the teaching and non-teaching staff of North Eastern Hill University (NEHU).
This was after the resolution of the Executive Council and notification issued on June 14 for discontinuing payment of HASA was stayed by the single bench of the High Court in its order issued here on Friday.
“The resolution of Executive Council and consequential notification dated June 14 are hereby stayed, and the respondents are further directed to continue to pay the HASA to the teaching and non-teaching staff of NEHU till the next date of hearing,” Justice SR Sen said in the order.
It may be mentioned here, NEHU authorities has recently announced that payment of HASA has been discontinued with effect from June 14, following the direction of the President of India, who is also the Visitor of the University.
The hearing today was also following a petition was filed by the North Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) which was represented by Sr Counsel BK Sharma and HK Das.
Meanwhile, the bench has also directed issuing of notice to the NEHU as to why this petition should not be taken up for consideration or any other order or orders should not be passed as found deemed fit and proper.
The notice is made returnable within 3 weeks.
Since K Khan, Standing counsel for NEHU and K Paul, learned CGC are present and accepted the notice, no formal notice is called for.
However, the bench directed the petitioner’s counsel to take necessary steps to serve the notice upon the private respondents.
The next hearing on the matter has been listed after 3 weeks for counter affidavit and further order.
In a statement issued here, NEHUTA president XP Mao termed the interim order issued by the High Court as a major relief.
“The Court took a serious view of the matter that without official notification to the NEHU employees, the Vice-Chancellor Prof SK Srivastava in his usual arbitrary style discontinued the payment of HASA which is highly irregular and improper,” he said.
He also said that NEHU VC had filed a caveat apprehending that NEHUTA might seek justice in the Court of law against arbitrary withdrawal of HASA through fraudulent means by way of blatant manipulation of EC minutes misguiding the MHRD as well as the office of the Visitor of the university, the President of India.
It may be mentioned here, the NEHUTA has been opposing against the alleged tampering of the minutes of the 48th Executive Council by the vice chancellor of the University.
+ There are no comments
Add yours