Court orders attachment of Punjab govt school property, education office salary over unpaid employee arrears

Time of India

4 days ago

Patiala: A Patiala civil court has ordered the attachment of movable property belonging to a govt school and salaries of employees of the district education office (secondary education), Patiala, over the Punjab govt's failure to clear salary arrears and interest owed to a former employee.
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The order, issued by civil judge (junior division) Jaspreet Singh Minhas on July 31, was on a petition filed by Rajesh Kumar, the former director of physical education at Government High School, Manjal Kalan.
On Jan 23, 2024, the court had ruled in Kumar's favour, directing the state to pay Rs 6.16 lakh along with 9% annual interest for delays in salary fixation from Sept 3, 2015, to July 21, 2018, and additional interest until payment.
Despite the directive, the interest component remains unpaid, leading Kumar to seek court intervention. Consequently, the court ordered the attachment of school assets and directed the district treasury officer, Patiala—a party to the suit—to halt salary disbursements for Aug 2025 to employees under the district education officer (secondary education), Patiala.
No employee to get pay
Puneet Sharma, the counsel for Kumar, stated that the attachment affects the entire salary head of the district education office (secondary education), impacting pay for all class I to class IV employees.
This means no employee under the DEO (SE) Patiala will receive their salary for Aug until the outstanding dues to Kumar are settled.
Assets slated for seizure
The following items from the premises of the School, Manjal Kalan, are listed for attachment: 20 fans, 30 chairs, four coolers, three air-conditioners, 10 almirahs, five tables, four computers and three printers
The attachment was ordered under Rule 30 of the Civil Procedure Code (CPC), with the court instructing the bailiff or an authorised officer to seize the listed items if the govt fails to make the payment.
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The execution report is to be submitted by Aug 11.
The dispute originated when Kumar alleged that, despite being senior in merit to another appointee, Gurmandeep Singh, his pay was not adjusted accordingly following his 2015 appointment. Although the arrears were eventually paid after a delay of over three years, interest on the amount was never disbursed.
During the initial trial, school authorities acknowledged the delay and admitted that no interest had been paid.
The court described the state authorities' inaction as illegal, irrational, and contrary to the principles of natural justice.
Advocate Puneet Sharma noted that the attachment order—particularly involving the salary head of an entire government office—serves as a stern reminder to the administration about the consequences of defying court orders.
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