High Court Fines Punjab Chief Secretary Rs 1 Lakh Over DA Arrearsਡੀਏ ਬਕਾਏ 'ਤੇ ਹਾਈ ਕੋਰਟ ਨੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਮੁੱਖ ਸਕੱਤਰ ਨੂੰ 1 ਲੱਖ ਰੁਪਏ ਜੁਰਮਾਨਾ ਲਾਇਆ

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, imposed costs of Rs 1 lakh on Punjab Chief Secretary KAP Sinha in a contempt plea over the non-payment of pending dearness allowance (DA) and dearness relief (DR) arrears to government employees and pensioners. Justice Harsh Bunger also directed the Chief Secretary to file a personal affidavit explaining the non-compliance and to remain present in person at the next hearing on November 3, Live Law and ANI reported.

What happened in court on Tuesday?

The contempt petition was filed by Nirmal Singh Dhillon, a retired Chief Engineer of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), over the alleged non-compliance with court directions on DA and DR. Counsel for the employees submitted that the Punjab government was adopting delaying tactics to avoid implementing the High Court's orders, and pointed out that the Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the state in the Supreme Court had remained on the defect list for more than two months, ANI reported. The court questioned why DA and DR benefits had been withheld from employees and pensioners while the benefits of senior officials had not been similarly withheld.

Why is the Chief Secretary facing contempt proceedings?

In an earlier hearing, a bench of Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor had noted that the defects pointed out by the Supreme Court Registry in the state's SLP had not been removed, contrary to the Chief Secretary's statement that the government had re-filed the appeal after curing the defects, and it sought his explanation, Live Law reported. Advocate General Maninderjit Singh Bedi had submitted that the SLP was re-filed on October 1 and that the Registry may subsequently have raised fresh objections. The court, however, observed that re-filing a defective appeal almost a month after the original filing prima facie indicated an attempt to misrepresent facts before the court.

What is the DA case about?

The dispute goes back to Punjab's decision to keep DA and DR instalments in abeyance after adopting the Central Government pattern for the allowance. In August 2026, the High Court dismissed a batch of Letters Patent Appeals filed by the Punjab Government and PSPCL, affirming that once the state adopted the Central pattern, it incurred a binding obligation to release the accrued instalments and could not defer them indefinitely on the ground of financial constraint. According to legal reporting of the case, a single judge had earlier quashed the state's liquidation plan and directed payment of the arrears by June 30, 2026. The contempt proceedings affect a large body of serving employees and pensioners across the state; one report put the number at an estimated 8 lakh people.

What happens next?

The Chief Secretary must now file his personal affidavit explaining why the court's directions were not implemented, pay the Rs 1 lakh costs imposed on Tuesday, and appear in person on November 3, 2026. What the affidavit says about a timeline for releasing the arrears will be closely watched by employees' and pensioners' bodies, who have been pressing the government on the dues through the session. The state government had not issued a public response to Tuesday's order at the time of publication.

How much did the High Court fine the Punjab Chief Secretary?

The court imposed costs of Rs 1 lakh on Chief Secretary KAP Sinha for non-compliance with its direction on paying pending DA arrears.

When must the Chief Secretary appear in court?

Justice Harsh Bunger directed him to file a personal affidavit and remain present in person on the next date of hearing, November 3, 2026.

Who filed the contempt petition in the DA case?

Nirmal Singh Dhillon, a retired Chief Engineer of PSPCL, filed the contempt petition over the alleged non-compliance with the court's DA and DR directions.