The Allahabad High Court Thursday declared the strike by a section of Uttar Pradesh government employees "illegal" and ordered the government to initiate disciplinary action against them and their unions.
The court prohibited the employees and unions from going on strike or inciting any employee for it.
It further directed the senior officials of various departments to record the employees' attendance and videograph their agitation.
It asked the government to furnish the "action taken report" to it within a month.
A bench of justices D K Arora and Ajay Bhanot passed the order on a writ petition by one Rajeev Mishra.
In its order, the bench expressed sympathy for the employees and directed the government to develop a mechanism to sort out their problems and meet their demands.
Arguing for the petitioner, advocate S M Royakwar said the parents and wife of the petitioner needed medical treatment.
But he came to know from newspapers that the government employees were going on strike from February 6 to 12 due to which he would not be able to get medical assistance for them, he said.
Apart from it, the UP school board examination started on February 6 but due to the strike, the students are suffering a lot, he pleaded.
Royakwar argued that the strike is illegal and would subject the the society to miseries, besides affecting the career of the UP Board examinees.
Advocate General Raghvendra Singh told the bench that the state government had on January 16, 2018issued a notification warning the agitating employees' unions not to go on strike or else Essential Services Maintenance Act would be imposed on them.
He said only 10 percent employees are reported to be on strike but the government is taking strict action against them also.
The state government employees are on strike from Wednesday for restoration of an old pension scheme.
The government has invoked ESMA and banned the strike.
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