HC directs DCW to disburse March pay to its workers

The Delhi High Court today directed the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) to disburse the salary of March to its employees, working on various cells and programs for women, whose appointments are under scrutiny.
Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva issued the direction on an application moved by the affected DCW employees, numbering 97, who have claimed that having to come to court for every month's salary amounts to economic and mental harassment.
The Lieutenant Governor's office, which has set up a panel to inquire into the legality of appointments made by DCW Chairperson Swati Maliwal, said the committee's report is being finalised and will be put up before the LG.

The judge asked the LG's office to pull up its officials carrying out the inquiry.
The court also said there should be some clarity on whether the employees, whose appointments are being scrutinised, should continue or not and expressed hope that the report would be finalised and placed before it by the next date of hearing on April 28.
Meanwhile, the DCW said its ability to continue with the various cells and programs was being affected as it does not know whether the employees would be there and should it allocate funds for the same.

To this, the judge said that DCW will have to move the concerned court which had ordered setting up of these rehabilitation cells or programs for women.

The court had in February ordered the DCW to disburse the salary of February and 25 per cent of past arrears of 2016 to its workers to help them meet essential expenses, including paying their children's school fee.
The court had said that "if work was taken from them (workers), they have to be paid".
On December 22 last year, it had directed the DCW to pay 50 per cent salary arrears of four months, from September to December 2016, after the workers moved a plea claiming they had not been paid since September 2016.