Shillong, August 13: The Meghalaya High Court has sharply criticized the state government for the significant delays in approving reimbursement bills related to medical and travel expenses for judicial officials. Some claims have been pending for nearly a decade. The court has also ordered the payment of 9% annual interest on the delayed amounts.
The directive was issued by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice W. Diengdoh while hearing a petition from the Registrar General of the Meghalaya High Court.
Previously, the court had summoned the secretaries of the Law and Finance departments due to the longstanding pending reimbursement claims. Both officials appeared before the bench on Monday. During the proceedings, the court discovered that several low-value bills were also awaiting approval. One claim, amounting to ₹57,680, has been pending in the e-proposal system since October 2014, with no approval order issued yet.
Reports indicate another claim of ₹15,860 has been pending with the Law Department since 2017, while a payment of ₹22,126 has not been made since June 2018.
The court remarked, “Some amounts are quite minimal, yet they remain unpaid.” It expressed concern over the reasons for such prolonged delays.
Advocate General A. Kumar, representing the state government, assured the court that all proposals sent by the High Court would be prioritized and processed swiftly. He further stated that payments for the pending bills of judicial officials would be made within two weeks. However, the court instructed the government to pay 9% annual interest on the claims pending from 2014 to 2022. The interest will be calculated from the date of bill submission to the payment date.
The court also ordered that all pending bills from 2022 onwards be processed and paid within two weeks. The bench directed the Commissioner and Secretary of the Law Department to investigate the delays and take appropriate action against any responsible officials.
Meanwhile, the court reviewed a case related to the GPO land and instructed the Advocate General and the Deputy Solicitor General of India to convene a joint meeting with officials from the GPO, PWD, and Urban Affairs Department to resolve the matter.
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