STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The All Assam Judicial Employees’ Association (AAJEA) on Tuesday staged a day-long non-cooperation programme at every district judiciary of the State against the non-implementation of the Shetty Commission’s recommendations and in support of various demands.
AAJEA president Madan Upadhyaya said, “Pursuant to the writ petition Vide No. WP(C) 1022/1989, the Supreme Court had passed an order on 07.10.2009 to implement the recommendations of the Justice Shetty Commission w.e.f 01.04.2003. In addition, by the same judgment the apex court of India had directed the High Court to observe whether the recommendations were fully implemented or not within a year. But till date, those recommendations have not yet been fully executed. The AAJEA has repeatedly reminded the Assam Government through the Gauhati High Court, but no fruitful result has come out.”
He further said that the Second National Judicial Pay Commission was constituted as per order dated 09.05.2017 passed by the Supreme Court in WP(C)643/2015, and as per the recommendations of the Pay Commission, the Supreme Court passed an order on 27.07.2022 to pay the arrears of Judicial Officers w.e.f 01.01.2016.
“Judicial Officers draw high salaries but the salary structure of judicial employees of Assam has not yet been inducted in the Assam Services (ROP) Rules, 2017. As a result, the judicial employees of the district judiciary of Assam are still drawing less salary and defective pay structure. The judicial employees are facing injustice and discrimination and this has lead to frustation among them,” said Upadhyaya.
“Another substantial demand of AAJEA is to bring a new service rule for judicial employees of the district judiciary as per the recommendation of Shetty Commission. But this demand has also not been fulfilled. As a result, the subordinate judiciary of Assam are facing different complications regarding appointment and promotion of judicial employees. AAJEA also demands the creation of grade-wise Bench Clerk posts as per the recommendation of the Justice Shetty Commission in every judicial district. But in this regard, a discriminatory approach has been applied. The posts have been created in the newly-created districts while the old judicial districts have been deprived,” said the general secretary of AAJEA, Utpal Kalita.
AAJEA has also demanded special allowances for stenographers, drivers, record keepers etc, 5% of basic pay of employees engaged in Lok Adalat, 25% promotional reservation for 4th Grade employees etc, increasing fixed TA of Process Servers along with increase of Grade Pay to Rs 4,400 instead of Rs 3,900 for a certain section of Grade IV employees, among others.
Kalita added, “Our agitation is not against any person or individual, but against the discriminatory behaviour shown towards the judicial employees of district judiciary. Being an integral part of the judicial system, we are still deprived of justice. Even after the non-cooperation programme if the authority concered turns a deaf ear to our demands, we will be compelled to launch a series of agitation programmes from August.”
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