"No Valid Ground For Not Complying To Court's Order": Delhi High Court Directs NDMC To Pay Wages To Workmen Within 4 Weeks

The Delhi High Court on Monday directed the North Delhi Municipal Corporation to provide monthly wages to the workmen in compliance of its earlier order dated 29 January this year.

A single judge bench comprising of Justice Pratibha Singh observed thus:

"This Court is of the opinion that there is no valid ground for the Petitioner for not complying with the order of this Court, especially when it involves monthly payment of wages to workmen."

In view of this, the Court directed further:

"Accordingly, it is directed that the payment, in terms of the order dated 29th January 2021, be released by the Corporation within a period of four weeks. The said release would however, be subject to orders, if any, that may be passed in the SLP. In case the payments are not released, a Senior officer of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation shall remain present in Court on the next date."

The development came in an application moved by Workmen seeking implementation of the order dated 29th January, 2021 wherein the Court had directed NDMC to pay to the Workmen their wages, based on the parameters provided under Section 17B of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.

During the course of hearing, the workmen apprised the Court that the Letter Patent Appeal challenging the order was dismissed by the Court on March 16.

Observing that since the order was upheld by the division bench of the High Court, the Court observed thus:

"The SLP is stated to have been filed but admittedly is not even listed. The order has been in operation for more than five months and there is no stay upon the operation of the order of the court dated 29th January 2021."

In view of the aforesaid, the bench posted the matter for further hearing on August 26.

In a related news, the Delhi High Court bench comprising of Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Jasmeet Singh yesterday warned the North Delhi Municipal Corporation of attachment of its properties for its failure to pay salaries and pensions to employees in the wake of covid 19 pandemic.

The Bench directed the Chairman of NDMC to disclose details, under his own affidavit, of all immovable and movable properties along with their estimated value in particular of the bank accounts held by NDMC with banks and financial institutions and the amount held therein till July 1, 2021.

Title: NDMC v. Vandana & 22 Ors.

Click Here To Read Order