Supreme Court stays Punjab contempt case, seeks dues plan

The Supreme Court on November 5 stayed criminal contempt proceedings against Punjab Chief Secretary K.A.P. Sinha and other state officials over unpaid dearness allowance and relief, and directed Punjab to propose a plan for disbursing pending amounts by March 2027. A bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan ordered that the High Court proceedings remain on hold until further orders. It also barred coercive steps in a related civil contempt case. The Supreme Court adjourned the matter to December. The Punjab and Haryana High Court’s underlying August 3 order directed the state to release pending DA and DR instalments to employees and pensioners at rates applicable to All India Services officers serving in Punjab. Punjab has challenged that ruling in the Supreme Court. The High Court’s payment directions have not been described as stayed; the Supreme Court’s November 5 order concerns the contempt proceedings and requires a proposed payment plan. The High Court initiated contempt proceedings after concerns over the state’s compliance with its payment directions. In October, it issued a criminal contempt notice to Sinha, and the Supreme Court noted that he had been...