New Delhi: The LDF government in Kerala has moved the Supreme Court against the High Court order on the salary challenge, which made it mandatory for each government employee to contribute a month's salary to the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) in the wake of the August floods.
The plea will be considered on Monday, said Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.
The Kerala government had urged its employees to contribute a month's salary to the CMDRF to rebuild the state after the worst floods in a century.
The Kerala High Court order had, however, barred the state government from collecting letters of unwillingness from employees who did not wish to participate in the 'salary challenge'.
A section of the employees has taken objection to the order, saying that a condition to put their refusal in writing amounted to forcible collection.
A two-judge bench of the high court in September noted that the government order prima facie appeared to be compelling the employees to give up a month’s salary, thus amounting to forced donation.
There could be people rich enough to contribute to the relief fund and yet not doing it, the court noted, wondering how the government could track that section of the population. The HC said the government should give individual consideration to the financial situation while going for such a drive. Its order should not hurt any such family’s dignity. While none suspected the objective of the salary challenge, the employees should be left to decide how much amount they pay to the CM’s relief fund, the courd added, while hearing a case filed by the Kerala NGO Sangh.
