The Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi government to ensure that funds to twelve Delhi University colleges, fully funded by the State, are released within a week to make payment of salaries to the staff. The High Court also warned of issuing contempt notices to senior Delhi government officers, if the judicial orders are not complied with.

Justice Tushar Rao Gedela was yesterday hearing a plea seeking contempt action against Minister of Department of Higher Education Atishi, Secretary of the Department R Alice Vaz and its director Bhupesh Chaudhary for allegedly deliberately and intentionally not complying with the High Court’s directions issued last month.

The contempt petition filed by some of the serving and retired teachers of Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) College said despite the Court’s order, the authorities have not filed the affidavit with specific timelines to be mentioned. The main petition was filed by the college staff earlier in 2020 seeking directions to the authorities for the release of their salaries.

The High Court, in its 16th of April order this year, had said the Delhi government and the DDU College are directed to place an affidavit on the budgetary allocation of the college, and the funds which have been released to the college by the Delhi government. The Court listed the matter for the 15th of July for placing on record the compliance of its order.