The Rajasthan High Court has taken a firm stance in a contempt case concerning delayed salary payments and arrears for public employees. On Wednesday, the Jodhpur bench, led by Justice Dinesh Mehta, ordered the state government to withhold the salaries of three IAS officers for failing to comply with court orders for over three and a half years. The court also summoned the Principal Secretary of the Personnel Department to appear on March 25.
The case stems from a petition by Ramesh Audichya and eight ministerial staff from the Udaipur Collector and Divisional Commissioner’s office. They were made permanent in 1987 and granted selection grade scales, but the third selection grade scale was denied. The Rajasthan High Court ruled in their favor on September 23, 2021, ordering the arrears and salary benefits to be paid by March 31, 2022.
Due to non-compliance, the petitioners filed a contempt petition. The court, rejecting the government’s defense of a pending appeal, ordered salary withholding for Hemant Gera, Rajendra Kumar Bhatt, and Tarachand Meena, barring disbursal without explicit permission.
