The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled in favour of a state employee who fought a two-decade-long legal battle for fair wages. The court directed the Haryana government to pay him salary arrears as a driver from 2000—the year he began performing those duties—rather than from 2009, when his promotion was formally approved on paper.
Justice Sudeeptu Sharma dismissed the state’s second appeal and upheld earlier findings of the trial court and the District Judge, Sirsa, both of which had recognised the claim of Partap Singh, a class IV employee.
Singh joined government service as a beldar in 1987 and was regularised in 1993. In 2000, he was redesignated as a truck cleaner but was immediately assigned driving duties from September that year. Despite continuously working as a driver, his official promotion came only on 12 June, 2009. Singh argued that he was entitled to driver’s wages from the date he began performing the role, not from when the department issued orders.
After his legal notice to the government went unanswered, Singh approached the civil court, which ruled in his favour in 2016. The state’s appeal was dismissed in 2018, leading to the current proceedings.
During the hearings, the court noted that even a government witness, a sub divisional engineer, admitted under cross-examination that Singh had been on driving duty since September 2000. Official records also confirmed this. Citing earlier Supreme Court precedents, including _Selva Raj vs Lt Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands_ (1992), the High Court ruled that employees are entitled to wages for higher posts from the time they actually perform those duties.
The state has now been directed to pay Singh the difference in salary dating back to September 2000, closing a prolonged legal fight for rightful compensation.
Source – https://www.hrkatha.com/news/employee-wins-20-year-legal-fight-for-rightful-drivers-salary/