Jammu and Kashmir administration fined Rs 9 lakh for failing to pay dues to contractor
‘It shocks the conscience that we tout ourselves as fifth largest economy but do not have funds to pay the legitimate dues,’ said a High Court bench.
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The Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been fined Rs 9 lakh for failing to pay the dues to a contractor since 2015, Bar and Bench reported on Monday.
In an order passed on September 4, the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh said the administration was playing “hide and seek” with judicial orders.
A bench of Justices Atul Sreedharan and Mohammad Yousuf Wani rejected the administration’s submission that the dues were not paid because of a scarcity of funds.
“It shocks the conscience that we tout ourselves as fifth largest economy in the world, aspiring to be the third largest soon, but do not have funds to pay the legitimate dues of the respondent [contractor] amount to Rs 20.97 lakh, which denigrates and puts to doubt the lofty claims of the economic prowess of the country,” said the court.
The order came on a petition by the contractor that the government had not paid a part of the dues for work completed in 2015. When his petition was first heard by a single-judge bench of the High Court, nearly Rs 29 lakh were due to him. The bench had asked the administration to pay the due with an interest of 6% per annum.
The contractor filed a contempt case when...
