Contempt notice to Information and Broadcasting Ministry

New Delhi, Dec 22 (IANS) The Delhi High Court has issued a contempt notice to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for not giving benefits of fifth central pay commission to some of its employees despite court orders in 2006.

Justice Manmohan last week summoned director of the Song and Drama Division (SDD) and secretaries of the finance and information and broadcasting ministries for Jan 23 asking why the court orders were not implemented.

The court was hearing a petition filed by some employees of the SDD of the information and broadcasting ministry, who alleged they have been denied the benefits of the fifth central pay commission, when the sixth pay commission was already in place.

The petitioners had approached Central Administrative Tribunal and obtained a favourable order in 2006. But the ministry did not implement the order and the petitioners then moved the high court in the same year. The court asked the ministry to implement the order and also imposed a penalty of Rs.20,000 on it.

The penalty was to be paid within four weeks of the order failing which the petitioners moved court filing a contempt petition.