theTripurapost News Images

Jute Mill Case: HC Gives 3 Weeks To Tripura Govt To Implement Order

  • By Thetripurapost Desk, Agartala
  • Jul 11, 2024
  • 304

A division bench of the Tripura High Court on Wednesday rejected the plea to relieve three top  bureaucrats of the state government in contempt of court case. However, the High Court grants three more weeks to the three bureaucrats to implement the order.

The state government and the jute mill authorities have not fully implemented the order of the high court to pay the revised pay scale including various allowances to the labor- employees of the Tripura Jute Mill from January 1, 1996. A single judge of the Tripura High Court in a judgment, delivered on September 4, 2018 ordered an end to the long-standing deprivation of the laborers of Jute mill on the question of pay and allowances, with effect from January 1, 1996. 

Jute mill and the state government appealed against the judgment of the single judge. Various Benches of the High Court dismissed the appeal on September 21, 2022. The state government and Jute mill filed an SLP in the Supreme Court against the division bench's verdict. 

The Supreme Court dismissed the SLP on September 4, 2023. After the SLP was dismissed, the state government and Jute mill again moved to the Supreme Court for review of the judgment. 

The Supreme Court on October 9, 2023 dismissed the 'reconsideration' appeal .

In the Supreme Court order, the state government and Jute mill have promised to implement the high court order within the next six months. But a contempt of court case was filed alleging that the state government and Jute mill were lax in implementing the High Court order. 

Jute mill MD, Industries Secretary, Industries Director and Finance Secretary have been accused in the contempt of court case. On October 10, 2023, the defendants in the contempt case said that the judgment will be executed within next date.

The High Court, in its order issued on October 10, said that the defendants will be required to file an affidavit on a later date informing them of the execution of the judgment. If not, the defendants will be ordered to appear in court in person.

Dues have been paid to 100 retired workers  as per the judgment of the court. Rs 10 crores have been spent so far. But a large number of retired employees are yet to get their dues as per the High Court judgement.

The contempt case was scheduled before the Division Bench of Hon'ble Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice Arindam Lodh on Wednesday, July 10. On behalf of the jute milll MD, the lawyer said that 100 people of the first phase have been settled according to the court verdict. In the second phase, Rs 10 crore has been allocated to settle the dues of another 40 people. Senior lawyer Purushottam Roy Barman, appearing for the workers, said that the defendants have broken the commitment given before the Supreme Court to implement the verdict within six months. The defendants are delaying the implementation of the court's judgment. The senior lawyer on behalf of labor- employees opposed the request to acquit three top bureaucrats of the state government from the contempt of court case.

After hearing the arguments of both the parties, the High Court gave three weeks time to the defendants to apply before the Supreme Court to extend the deadline for implementation of the judgment. If not, charges of contempt of court will be framed against the defendants in next date.