The Centre today told the Delhi High Court that it had revised pay scales of prosecutors in the national capital, whose salaries were way below their counterparts in other states, with effect from yesterday.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar asked the Centre to file a compliance report of its September 2015 order by which it had directed that the Delhi government's cabinet decision to increase pay scales of public prosecutors be implemented without any delay.
Advocate Meera Bhatia, appearing for the Centre, informed the court that a three-member committee from three different ministries was constituted for taking the decision and the Home Ministry had agreed to give higher pay scale to the public prosecutors with effect from April 3, 2018.
The contempt petition filed by Delhi Prosecutors Welfare Association has alleged "deliberate and willful disobedience" on the part of the Centre and the city government in complying with the court's 2015 order.
The court was hearing two PILs seeking upward revision in the pay scales of prosecutors and for equipping them with facilities and infrastructure needed to do their job.
It had earlier asked how the government lawyers or prosecutors could be expected to perform efficiently if they were not paid properly and on time.
The court was earlier informed by senior advocate Rajeev K Virmani, who was appointed an amicus curiae, and senior advocate Dayan Krishnan, who represented the prosecutors, that assistant prosecutors were being paid in the pay scale of Rs 9,300 to Rs 34,800 and for additional public prosecutors the grade pay was Rs 4,600 in pay bank II as per the 6th pay commission which was equivalent to what was received by a stenographer in district courts.