Key Points

The Calcutta High Court has ordered the West Bengal government to publish the 6th Pay Commission recommendations by July 1. Justice Amrita Sinha ruled that keeping the report hidden was unjustified since it wasn’t classified. The directive came after a state employee filed a petition alleging lack of transparency. The court emphasized the need for public access to the voluminous pay commission documents.

Key Points: Calcutta HC Orders Bengal Govt to Release 6th Pay Commission Report by July 1

  • Court mandates public disclosure of pay commission report by July 1
  • Justice Sinha criticizes state for unnecessary secrecy
  • Petition filed by employee Deboprasad Halder alleges lack of transparency
  • State govt previously claimed compliance with pay commission recommendations
2 min read

Calcutta HC directs Bengal govt to publish 6th Pay Commission recommendations by July 1

Calcutta High Court directs West Bengal government to publish 6th Pay Commission recommendations on its portal by July 1 after employee petition.

"Maintaining such secrecy in the matter by the state government was unnecessary. - Justice Amrita Sinha"

Kolkata, June 17

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed the West Bengal government to publish the recommendations of the 6th Pay Commission by July 1.

The single-judge bench of Justice Amrita Sinha also directed the state government to publish the said recommendations at the special portal related to the Pay Commission matters.

It gave the order acting on a petition filed by a state government employee accusing the state government of not properly publicising the pay commission recommendations.

In his petition, Deboprasad Halder contended that in the case against the state government and different associations of the state government on the issue of payment of pending dearness allowance dues to the state government employees, the state government had been constantly claiming in different courts that they had been honouring the recommendations of the 6th Pay Commission.

However, he alleged that the state government employees were kept in the dark on the 6th Pay Commission recommendations since those were published on the specific website of the state government.

The matter came up for hearing at Justice Sinha’s bench on Tuesday, and she questioned the state government about the time by which the latter would bring the recommendations into the public domain.

However, the state government counsel was unable to give a specific answer to the court in the matter. Thereafter, Justice Sinha directed the state government to publish the recommendations of the 6th Pay Commission by July 1, and that too at the special portal related to the Pay Commission matters.

Justice Sinha also observed that since the Pay Commission documents were not included in the classified category, maintaining such secrecy in the matter by the state government was unnecessary. She also held that the voluminous reports of the Pay Commission recommendations should be made available in the public domain.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

Here are 6 diverse Indian perspective comments for the given article:
P
Priya M.
Finally some transparency! Government employees have been waiting for this for too long. Why hide pay commission recommendations if there's nothing to hide? Justice Sinha did the right thing. Hope other states learn from this.
R
Rahul K.
As a central govt employee, I know how important pay commission reports are. West Bengal govt should have been more proactive. Employees' livelihoods depend on these recommendations. Good judicial intervention 👍
S
Sunita P.
This is typical of our system - keeping important documents hidden until forced to reveal them. The court's observation about unnecessary secrecy hits the nail on the head. Transparency should be default, not something achieved through litigation.
A
Arjun D.
While I support transparency, I wonder if the state govt had valid reasons for delay? Implementing pay revisions is complex - need to consider fiscal impact. But yes, employees deserve to know what's coming.
N
Neha R.
Kudos to Deboprasad Halder for taking this up! Common citizens standing up for their rights is what strengthens our democracy. Hope this sets a precedent for other states to be more transparent with such important matters.
V
Vikram S.
The state counsel couldn't even give a timeline? Shows how seriously they take employee welfare. Pay commissions affect lakhs of families - this isn't some trivial matter. Hope the July 1 deadline is strictly enforced! 🙏

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