Chandigarh, August 18: The President of the Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party, Keval Singh Dhillon, targeted the state government on Tuesday. He claimed that instead of complying with the Punjab and Haryana High Court‘s 15-day deadline for paying pending Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) to government employees and pensioners, the Punjab government is attempting to create administrative hurdles.
Dhillon pointed out a letter from the Finance Department dated August 17, which instructed all administrative departments not to implement orders arising from the High Court’s decision in the 2026 civil writ petition without its consent. He described this condition as akin to presenting a stipulation that does not form part of the court’s judicial order.
He further stated that such an administrative directive cannot nullify, weaken, delay, or suspend an order issued by a constitutional court.
In a statement, Dhillon remarked, “The executive cannot sit in appeal against a judicial directive or create an additional layer of administrative approval before compliance. More importantly, where the court has directed ‘honest compliance,’ the state government has no room to reconsider, qualify, or selectively implement the judicial order through internal departmental circulars.”
Dhillon emphasized, “This non-compliance clearly indicates that the AAP government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, is not only anti-employee and anti-pensioner but also shows little respect for the High Court’s orders. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema must understand that government employees are not asking for favors, subsidies, or political gifts. They are demanding the money that is legally and legitimately owed to them.”
He posed a straightforward question: “If the Punjab government can spend money on publicity, advertisements, and political branding, why can it not pay employees their already earned DA and pending DA dues? This is the true face of the AAP government—promises before elections, publicity after elections, and excuses when it comes to paying the people of Punjab. The government cannot hide behind financial constraints to deny employees and pensioners their rightful dues.”
The state BJP leader urged the government to stop treating court orders as mere political suggestions.
He concluded, “The court’s order is not optional. The government must comply fully, immediately, and literally.”
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