IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH CASE NO.: CWP No.19731 of 2008 DATE OF DECISION: December 18, 2008 SANTOSH KUMARI ...PETITIONER VERSUS THE STATE OF PUNJAB & OTHERS ...RESPONDENTS CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE ASHUTOSH MOHUNTA. HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE RAJAN GUPTA. PRESENT: MR. H.S. BHULLAR, ADVOCATE FOR THE PETITIONER. MS. CHARU TULI, SR. DAG, PUNJAB. MR. VIKRAM MANN, ADVOCATE FOR MR. HEMANT SAINI, ADVOCATE FOR RESPONDENT NO.3. ASHUTOSH MOHUNTA, J.(ORAL) The petitioner is a widow and was given the post of Beldar in Giani Katar Singh Memorial Government College, Tanda Urmur, District Hoshiarpur, on compassionate ground on 11.8.2004, as her husband died on 24.8.2000, while working as water carrier in the said College. The services of the petitioner were terminated vide order dated 15.11.2006, by the then Principle of the college. The order of termination was challenged by the petitioner by filing an appeal which was allowed by the Special Secretary to Government of Punjab, Department of School Education vide order dated 10.1.2008. As per said order, termination of the petitioner was set aside and the petitioner rejoined her service on 6.2.2008. The petitioner has made two-fold grievances in this writ petition. Firstly, that she has not been paid her salary w.e.f. 15.11.2006 till date. Her second grievance is that she has become a victim of sexual harassment at the hands of respondent No.3 as she is a widow. CWP No.19731 of 2008 -2- Counsel for the petitioner submits that respondent No.3 is working as Bill Clerk in the aforementioned college and is subjecting her to harassment for release of her salary. The allegations of sexual harassment have been vehemently denied by respondent No.3 who is also present in person. After hearing counsel for the parties we are of the considered opinion that as the petitioner has been assigned the work of cutting grass in the school premises (work of Beldar) and has not been paid her salary since 15.11.2006, without any valid reason, therefore, we direct respondent No.2 to release the salary of the petitioner w.e.f. 15.11.2006 till 31.12.2008, within a period of one month from today. We further direct respondent No.2 to assign some dignified duty to the petitioner, she being a lady and a widow. The petitioner can easily be assigned the job of a water carrier or Peon who carries files etc. We hope and trust that respondent No.2 will assign her dignified duties as a Beldar. As far as the allegations of sexual harassment are concerned, the allegations made by the petitioner have been denied by respondent No.3 and therefore, we do not wish to go into these disputed questions of fact in this writ petition. Nevertheless, respondent No.3 is directed to be careful about his behavior towards women in future. Writ petition disposed of. Copy of the order be given dasti. (ASHUTOSH MOHUNTA) JUDGE December 18, 2008 (RAJAN GUPTA) Gulati JUDGE