DA Case Breaking: HC Takes Tough Stance, Issues Criminal Contempt Show-Cause Notice to Punjab Chief Secretary
Ravi Jakhu
Chandigarh, October 6, 2026:
In a major development regarding the long-pending Dearness Allowance (DA) of Punjab Government employees and pensioners, a bench led by the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued a show-cause notice for criminal contempt to the Chief Secretary (CS) of Punjab, asking why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him. The court has fixed October 9 as the next date of hearing in the case.
The Chief Secretary was personally present in the court during today's proceedings.
Raising serious questions over the state government's conduct, the High Court observed that the administration failed to submit a compliance report by the August 31 deadline.
Addressing the state's contention that a Special Leave Petition (SLP) had been filed in the Supreme Court for relief, the court noted that a defective SLP was filed merely to buy time and evade paying the long-overdue dues of employees and pensioners.
Upon reviewing the affidavit filed yesterday by the Chief Secretary, the court revealed that the application submitted to the apex court lacked even a signed Vakalatnama, alongside several other procedural deficiencies.
The matter was brought back to court by employee representatives seeking action against officials for non-compliance with the High Court's August 3 orders. Counsel for the employees argued that the government neither released the DA arrears within the stipulated timeframe nor submitted the mandated compliance report.