Gauhati High Court directs clearing of doubts on employment, wages of muster roll workers

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court asked the Agriculture Department to clear doubts regarding the employment status of muster roll workers and wages due to them by obtaining the records concerned of the three letters in question, two dated January 9, 2018, and the third dated December 28, 2017.

The single-judge bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar Medhi issued the directions while hearing a writ petition (WP(C)/8268/2018) filed by 43 petitioners claiming payment of their wages in lieu of services rendered as Muster Roll Workers in the Agriculture Department.

It was submitted that the petitioners were inducted into the service during the period from 1993 to 1996 and were getting their regular salaries. However, in 2004, the farms where the petitioners were working were leased out by the government, and thereafter, the petitioners were engaged under different block agriculture officers and district agriculture officers. The petitioners claimed that wages have not been paid to them since 2004.

The petitioners had approached the HC earlier by filing writ petitions, including WP(C)/4179/2014, wherein there were directions to examine the claims. It was submitted that though a finding was given that there were no authentic documents, there was also an admission that the documents could not be retrieved because of the floods. The claims were then rejected via an order dated August 16, 2018, and this is the subject matter of challenge in the instant case.

The petitioners relied on two documents to establish their appointment and also submitted that there is an admission by the Director of Agriculture Department regarding their continuous service. R. Bora, the Standing Counsel of the Agriculture Department, however, submitted that the authenticity of the said documents is doubted and that it is alleged they were fabricated.

To clear such doubts, the bench then directed Bora to obtain the concerned records from the Office of the Agriculture Officer pertaining to the issuance of the letters dated January 9, 2018, and another regarding continuous employment of the muster roll workers issued by the Director of Agriculture Department on December 28, 2017.

It was made clear that if the allegation of fabrication is prima facie substantiated, the court would pass appropriate directions, including lodging a criminal proceeding. The case is listed next on May 13, 2024.

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