SC stays HC order that suspended Andaman chief secretary and imposed fine on LG

The Supreme Court on Friday (August 4) stayed the order of the Calcutta High Court suspending Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ Chief Secretary Keshav Chandra and imposing a fine of ₹5 lakh on Lt. Governor DK Joshi for not complying with an earlier order on releasing benefits to workers.

A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra took note of the submissions of Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the chief secretary and the LG, and stayed the order of the Port Blair bench of the high court.

“We will stay these directions. You (the petitioners) must have gotten the judges really riled up to get this. We are keeping it on next Friday,” the bench said.

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In a significant development, the high court had suspended Chandra and imposed a fine of ₹5 lakh on the LG (which he has to bear from his own fund) on Thursday (August 3) for not complying with an earlier order on releasing benefits to workers.

An order passed on December 19 last year had awarded higher pay and DA to nearly 4,000 Daily Rated Mazdoors (DRMs) employed by the island administration.

(With agency inputs)