Court threatens contempt charges against state

Itanagar, Sept 25: The Itanagar permanent bench of Gauhati High Court has threatened to issue a contempt order against the Arunachal government for non-compliance of a order passed by it in regard to the Assured Career Progression (ACP) scheme.

The court has threatened the state government for initiating contempt proceedings if the order was not complied by November 15, official sources informed here today.

The court in its ruling of January 23 had set aside the controversy of the ACP, which had been implemented in the state following the directives of the Centre.

Six assistant engineers in their petition before the court had mentioned that the junior engineers, working in various departments under Group C of the ACP, were given the benefits of the said scheme whereas the assistant engineers, under Group B, were not extended the benefits.

The state government had said the pay scale of the assistant engineers had been enhanced from the existing scale and they would not be entitled to double benefit under the ACP scheme.

However, the court after careful examination of the matter had set aside the claims of the state government and said that the ACP scheme had nothing to do with the enhancement of an individual's pay scale and directed the state government to consider the cases of the petitioners within three months from the issuance of the verdict, sources added.

UNI