Today, the Andhra Pradesh High Court while hearing a PIL filed by retired district judge D Lakshmi Kameswari asked the State government to pay 12 percent interest per annum on the deferred salaries and pensions of the employees and retired staff within a period of two months.
The petition follows the State government’s decision to withheld 50 percent of the employees’ salaries for March and April and 50 percent of pensions given to the retired staff for March owing to the financial stress amid the Coronavirus pandemic. However, the government has paid full salaries from May onwards.
The HC bench comprising of Justice M Satyanarayana Murthy and Justice K Lalitha struck down the government orders for withholding 50 percent of the salaries and directed the government to pay the withheld salaries and pensions within two months.
Sources cite that, even this month the salaries were credited three days late and the retired employees received their pensions one week late. The leaders of employees’ association also told that the issue was addressed to the Chief Minister as well, who assured the payment of due salaries.
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