AAP Government Releases Funds For Staff Salary To Three Delhi University Colleges

The AAP government on Wednesday released funds to three Delhi University colleges for the two quarters of financial year 2020-21, to enable them to pay salaries of their staff.

The amounts were released in compliance with the Delhi High Court's November 4 direction to the Delhi government to release by November 9, the remaining amount of two quarters to four Delhi University colleges -- Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar College, Bhagini Nivedita College, Aditi Mahavidyalaya Women''s College and Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies -- so they can pay salaries to their staff.

The fourth college -- Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar College -- was not given any further amount as it had already been given Rs 12.89 crore in lieu of the first two quarters as against a sum of Rs 11.5 crore which was released to it for the same period in 2019-20, the government said.

The government's stand before a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad was opposed by the fourth college, which said that in the last financial year, no amount was released in the second quarter and a cumulative amount of Rs 10 crore was released in the third quarter.

It also told the court that this year it has been able to pay salaries of its staff only till July out of the amount released by the government.

The college also told the court that a representation has been made to the the Delhi government on November 9, requesting release of more funds for paying salaries to the staff for the months of August, September and October,

"If such a representation has been made, the Directorate of Higher Education, GNCTD shall respond thereto within two days," the bench said.

It also directed the Delhi government to file an affidavit indicating its stand with regard to payment of arrears of salaries of the teaching and non-teaching staff of Bhim Rao Ambedkar college from August onwards and that of the other three colleges from October onwards.

With the direction, the court listed the matter for further hearing on December 16.

The High Court was hearing a plea by various teachers seeking direction to the institutions, which are affiliated to the varsity and fully funded by the Delhi government, to release their salaries pending for the last four months.

The four colleges have told the court that Delhi government subsidised them to an extent of 100 per cent and it releases the fund on quarterly basis in four tranches.

Advocate Ashok Agarwal, representing the teachers, had earlier told the court that the four colleges have not paid salaries to their staff for the months of June, July and August.

Initially, the plea was filed against 12 colleges for non-payment of salaries, however, the court deleted eight of them from memo of parties as two of the colleges have now paid the salaries to the staff till August and no employee of rest of the six colleges have approached the court with their grievance.

The petition has said, apart from these teachers there are other employees, teaching and non-teaching staff, who have not received their salaries for the months of May, June, July and August.

The eight teachers, who have filed the plea through advocate Kumar Utkarsh, have said they are members of Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA), which on behalf of the aggrieved staff, has been writing to the Delhi government for release of funds to enable the 12 DU colleges, funded by the government, to pay due salaries to 1500 teachers and non-teaching staff working there.

The plea has said that due to non-payment of salaries to the teachers, the employees working with these colleges are undergoing mental agony and harassment and contended that there is no justification on the part of authorities to not to pay them their dues on time.