Pay salary due to visually-impaired staffer in 2 weeks: HC

The Bombay high court on Tuesday directed the management of Chetna College to pay the outstanding salary of Nilima Surve, a visually-impaired employee who was terminated from her job because of her disability, within two weeks.

Surve, who was reinstated by the government in its order dated October 15, 2011 to the post of junior clerk/typist, resumed work in November after a four-year legal battle.

The management has appointed Surve as telephone operator/typist, a post not sanctioned by the government. As a result, she has not been paid since her reinstatement. The college management has argued that the state is not releasing funds. Advocate Chetan Agrawala said, "It is the government which had reinstated Surve and at the same post. So the question of appointment to a new post does not arise and the salary has to be paid accordingly."

Advocate GW Mattos appearing for the state government, agreed with Agrawal and said that the government is not bound to create a new post. Accordingly, a division bench of chief justice Mohit Shah and justice Ranjit More directed the management to pay the outstanding salary within two weeks.

Acting on the petition filed by Surve, the state government has been directed to ensure that all physically disabled people employed with the state government and semi-government officers are provided with the necessary devices required to help them with their work.