Isaac: HC order on expected lines

Thiruvananthapuram:06.05.2020

Finance minister T M Thomas Isaac on Tuesday expressed contentment over the high court order that ratified the legal validity of the ordinance notified by the state government that allows it to defer a portion of government employees’ salary for five months.

Opposition service organisations had challenged the legal validity of the ordinance in the high court. “We never expected the court order to be anything different than what has now been pronounced,” Isaac told media here.

Meanwhile, State Employees and Teachers Organisation (SETO) leaders said they were still hopeful about a favourable decision from the court. “We are not against contributing a portion of our salary to the government. The protest is against the arbitrary ways of the government. What the court announced today is an interim order. Let the court pronounce the final order in the second week of June. We would not shy away from the fight for justice,” said SETO state chairman Chavara Jayakumar. SETO general convenor M Salahudeen also expressed similar views.

“We have no reasons to get unsettled by the interim order passed by the court. We do sincerely believe that the final order would vindicate our stand. The ordinance is against the Indian Constitution and orders by the Supreme Court,” said NGO Association general secretary S Mathew. TNN