Manipur High Court Justice Ahanthem Bimol directed the secretary of Manipur Legislative Assembly to place before the court all the appointment orders made under the Die-in-Harness Scheme during the period from December 10, 2019 till date.
The direction was issued in connection with writ a petition filed by one Sweety Keisham, daughter of (L) Keisham Kadam, who was then serving as senior reporter grade-1 (expired in 2009 while in service), for her appointment under the Die-in-Harness Scheme at Manipur Legislative Assembly.
In her petition, Sweety stated that her father died in harness while serving as reporter Grade-I in the Manipur Legislative Assembly Secretariat on December 10, 2009. Soon after the death, she approached the authorities by filing representation for her appointment to any suitable post under the Die-in-Harness Scheme.
It has been submitted before the HC that the matter has not been considered by the authorities for her appointment in the last about 12 years. Having been aggrieved, she approached the HC by filing the writ petition in 2020.
Since then, the HC had given several opportunities to file their counter affidavit, despite giving several opportunities to the secretary and speaker of Manipur Legislative Assembly for filing their counter affidavits in the writ petition in the last about two years. However, they have not reportedly filed their counter affidavits till date.
When the matter was taken up on May 5, 2022 the HC gave one last opportunity to the Manipur Legislative Assembly to give the reasons for non-consideration of the claim of Sweety Keisham’s appointment under the Die-in-harness scheme for the last about 12 years.
When the matter was listed before the HC on September 6, a counter affidavit filed by secretary of Manipur Legislative Assembly stated that the seniority position of Sweety Keisham is at Sl. No. 8 of the seniority list of all the applicants who applied for appointment under the Die-in-Harness Scheme and that her case will be considered as and when the turn comes.
The counsel of Sweety Keisham submitted that the seniority list of the applicants produced by the secretary of assembly was published on September 11, 2018 and till today, not a single applicant whose name appeared in the seniority list and above Sweety had been appointed.
In order to ascertain whether any appointment has been made by the authorities under the Die-in-Harness Scheme, the HC directed the secretary of state assembly to place all appointment orders before the court.
