Supreme Court tells Telangana govt to pay full salary to power staff

New Delhi: A Supreme Court bench, headed by Justice Karimullah, ordered the Telangana government to pay 100 per cent salaries to the 1253 power employees whom the Telangana government calls Andhra employees. After hearing the arguments of the counsels for the two state governments and those of the employees here on Friday, the bench said it was proper that the Telangana government paid the full salaries without sharing the same with the AP government on a 58:42 ratio as it has been doing so far.

"All those employees relieved by the Telangana government are entitled to draw their salaries from the Telangana government as they are working in Telangana," the bench said.The AP government had contested an earlier order of the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad asking both the governments to share their salaries in the said ratio when the employees approached it. While continuing to pay the same, the AP government filed a petition in the Apex court seeking relief from the payment as the employees were working in Telangana.

On behalf of the Telangana government, its Advocate-General Ramakrishna Reddy argued that the Telangana government had relieved the employees within one year of the bifurcation and since paying its due as per the HC order as per the interim order. Counsel Vikas Singh on behalf of the employees argued that either of the two governments should pay the salary till the final disposal of the case in the HC. Directing the HC to dispose off the case in eight weeks, the SC bench said that Telangana should pay the full salary.