Haryana worker ‘dead' on paper, denied salary; rights panel seeks report in a month
The commission also directed the engineer-in-chief of the Haryana public health engineering department, the superintending engineer and the executive engineer of the department's Rohtak unit to submit a detailed report on the steps taken to correct the complainant's status in official records, including Aadhaar card. It also sought details on the measures taken to ensure prompt disbursement of all pending salary dues and departmental accountability for the delay and hardships caused to Vijay Kumar of Rohtak, the class 4 employee. The next hearing has been scheduled for September 23.
The public health department authorities are said to have failed to update his record on the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam Limited (HKRNL) portal. The panel observed that the inaction directly resulted in the prolonged non-payment of salary, causing undue financial strain and emotional distress to the complainant and his family.
Haryana rights panel chairperson Justice Lalit Batra and two other panel members found that non-payment of salary for work done constitutes a violation of the complainant's human rights, particularly the right to livelihood and dignity, as enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution and reaffirmed in International Human Rights instruments.
'The department's inaction amounts to an arbitrary deprivation of earnings, affecting the complainant's ability to sustain himself and his family. The commission is reminded of the well-known sentiment from Shakespeare's play namely Julius Caesar, wherein it is suggested that the dead may, at times, wield greater influence than the living. The present matter, however, reflects a grim inversion of that idea -a person who is unquestionably alive and faithfully performing his duties has, for official purposes, been treated as deceased,' the right panel said in its order.
The panel's order mentioned that the commission finds prima facie evidence of administrative negligence and violation of the complainant's rights.
'The department's own records declare the complainant deceased, yet his daily presence at the workplace and faithful discharge of duties bear living testimony to the contrary. This striking contradiction of acknowledging his work but denying him his wages underscores the urgency of immediate action to restore his salary, correct all records and ensure that no employee is ever again placed in such an anomalous and unjust position,' the HHRC further added.
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