In a significant legal victory for the Himachal Pradesh government, the Supreme Court of India has issued a stay on a High Court order that mandated Mid-Day Meal workers in the state be paid for 12 months, instead of the current 10-month period. The decision came after a successful plea by the state government, represented by the law firm Anand Sharma and Associates.
The High Court had earlier ruled in favor of the H.P. Mid-Day Meal Workers Union, directing the state government to treat Mid-Day Meal workers at par with other government servants working in government schools. This would have meant that the workers would receive salaries for the entire year, including school vacations.
However, the Supreme Court, after hearing arguments from both sides, found merit in the state government’s contention that the High Court had overstepped its bounds in rewriting the terms of the contract with Mid-Day Meal workers. The bench, comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Prashant Kumar Mishra, observed that the High Court’s order appeared to be a “rewriting of the contract.”
The stay on the High Court order provides a temporary relief to the Himachal Pradesh government, which had argued that the additional financial burden of paying Mid-Day Meal workers for 12 months would strain its resources. The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the respondents and will hear the matter further at a later date.
Anand Sharma and Associates, led by Advocate General Shri Anup Kumar Rattan, successfully represented the state government before the Supreme Court. The team also included Advocate Arman Roop Sharma, Advocate Rupinder Singh Thakur (Additional Advocate General), Advocate Yeshasvi Shrivastava.
