State's Appeal Against Order Directing It To Release Funds To KSRTC Infructuous: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday dismissed the state government's appeals against an order directing it to release requisite funds to KSRTC.

A single bench last month had directed the State to release the funds, required by KSRTC to clear salary dues of its employees for July and August months and the bonus eligible to those below the managerial cadre, on or before September 1

The Division Bench consisting of Justice A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Mohammed Nias C.P declared the appeals infructuous after considering the submissions of the Advocate General.

"The circumstances under which the writ appeals were entertained and interim orders passed therein have since ceased to exist, the writ appeals are dismissed as infructuous without prejudice to the right of the appellants to raise all contentions in the pending writ petitions," said the court

When the matter was taken up on Wednesday, it was submitted that the government had provided financial assistance of Rs 50 crores during Onam and had also proposed to introduce a coupon system.

In the Writ Appeals moved through Special Government Pleader Advocate P. Santhosh Kumar, the State had challenged the order passed by a Single Judge Bench of the Kerala High Court on 24.08.2022, contending that the State Government has no obligation to pay salary and other allowance to the employees of the KSRTC.

The Original Writ Petition was filed by the employees of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation seeking direction to the Corporation and its Managing Director to formulate a scheme for payment of salary to its employees at least before the 5th of every succeeding month. Two other similar petitions were also preferred by the employees of KSRTC.

Case Title: State of Kerala v. R. Baji

Citation: 2020 LiveLaw(Ker) 506

Click Here To Read/Download The Order