Government to consider army porters' demand for regularisation of services

The Army porters' demand to regularise them for the service they render to the force would soon be fulfilled after the Centre assured the Supreme Court on Friday to consider within a month time. 

 

Nearly after two years after the Apex court’s direction to the Centre  for their regular appointment, the Army Porters working in Nowshera (Rajouri), Akhnoor sectors in the Army for the past 10 to 20 years have filed a contempt petition after the government’s failure to comply with the order.

 

Their counsel Prof. Bhim Singh argued that even the Army Chief has given his recommendation in favour it. A bench of justices Deepak Misra and Prafullah C Pant granted the government four weeks time and said in an order “We hope and trust that any suggestion/recommendation given by the Chief of Army Staff should weigh with the competent authority of the Union of India, for the facts obtaining in the case at hand have their own peculiarity.”

 

The court order came after Additional Solicitor General P S Patwalia told the bench that more time is required to adhere to the court order. The porters’ counsel Singh, assisted by advocate B S Billowria,  submitted before the court that the Army Porters have been working for years and they have been paid meagre sum less than a daily wager.

 

The Supreme Court had said in May 2013 that “without entering into any legal issue, we dispose off the application directing the respondents that is the Army to consider the case of the applicant porters considering their past services and the same may be considered within a period of four months”. 

 

Earlier, the porters had filed an appeal before the Armed Forces Tribunal which did not hear the matter on the ground of dispute of jurisdiction. The tribunal had concluded that “it has no jurisdiction to deal with the case of civilian part of the Army.”