TAKING SERIOUS note of disruption of power supply on account of a strike by the employees of the Uttar Pradesh power/electricity department despite its previous order to ensure that power supply is not disrupted, the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court on Friday initiated contempt proceedings against the power employee’s union office bearers and issued bailable warrant against them.
“Considering the urgency involved in the matter, bailable warrants are issued to the aforesaid office bearers of the Union by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Lucknow requiring their presence before this Court at 10:00 a.m. on 20th March, 2023 through the Vidyut Karmchari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti having its office at 41/557, Dr. Tufail Ahamad Marg, Lohiya Mazdoor Bhawan, Narhi, Lucknow,” the court said in its order while hearing the matter.
On Wednesday, after the dialogue between the state government and a section of protesting Uttar Pradesh power department employees failed to yield any result, the protesting employees went on a 72-hour strike beginning at 10 pm Thursday, while alleging discrepancies in their promotion, pension and
salary, among other issues.
The government, however, yesterday invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against the strike employees. The government also warned of invoking the National Security Act (NSA) against those threatening other employees or damaging public property during the protest.
“From what has been placed before us, a serious situation is shown to have arisen which requires immediate attention. Since the issue is otherwise subjudice before this court, we are not inclined to endorse the action of employees in going on State wide strike, instead of availing the remedy of highlighting their grievance in the present petition. Even if there is substance in the demand raised by the workers, yet, the entire State cannot be put to severe constraints by jeopardizing overwhelming public interest. Such an act of workers violates the direction of this court for not disrupting power supply.
Even national interest is compromised on account of reduction in the generation of power in different power generating units of the State. Thus, Prima facie disobedience of this court’s order dated 06.12.2022 is indicated,” stated the order passed by a division bench of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Vinod Diwakar on Friday.
The court added that “since the Employees’ Association has not entered appearance despite the previous orders passed by this Court and service of notice upon it, we are left with no option but to issue notices to the Employees’ Association and its office bearers for initiation of contempt proceedings against them.”
The court fixed March 20 as the next date for hearing the matter.
The court also directed that the the state authorities shall also ensure that appropriate action as may be permissible in law be taken against the erring officials/employees so as to ensure compliance of the previous orders passed by this court on December 6, 2022, and report compliance of the action taken in the matter by then.
An affidavit of the Additional Chief Secretary of the Department concerned would be placed on record by then, the order added.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh electricity department employees, who have stopped work for three days since last night, on Friday claimed that their strike has hit power distribution in parts of the state and sought Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s intervention to end the atmosphere of confrontation.
State Power Minister AK Sharma, however, assured that things are under control and blamed some “stubborn” leaders of the power employee associations for the strike.
— With PTI inputs
