The Supreme Court has issued a contempt notice to Punjab Chief Secretary KAP Sinha for failing to implement the 1996 pension scheme for employees of privately managed aided colleges.
During the hearing a bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan expressed anger at the Punjab government for not keeping its promises and issued notice to Chief Secretary KAP Sinha, asking him to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him for the breach of the undertaking given to the High Court.
The Court pointed out that the State had assured the Punjab and Haryana High Court that it would provide pension benefits but later changed its stance before the Supreme Court.
Justice Oka confronted Chief Secretary Sinha, stating, “Did you not promise the Court? Now you say the government is not bound by its own commitments? This is unacceptable!” The Court also warned that false statements would not be tolerated.
Despite repeated questioning, Sinha avoided giving a clear response on whether the pension benefits would be provided. Instead, he claimed he could not go against the legislature’s decision. This further frustrated the judges, who called the government’s conduct “shameless.” The Court also issued a contempt notice against Surinder Kaul, Deputy Director (Colleges), Punjab, for misleading statements. However, Sinha was given the chance to name other officers responsible for the delay.
Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh admitted that the situation was unfortunate and assured the Court of action. Despite this, the Supreme Court made it clear that Punjab’s failure to act could lead to serious legal trouble. It means that after receiving an assurance from the Advocate General, the Court has given priority to the matter and scheduled it to be heard as the first case on March 24.
