During the hearing of a case against Punjab Chief Secretary pertaining to non-payment of Dearness Allowance to government employees, Supreme Court judge Justice BV Nagarathna yesterday remarked that government employees constitute a "privileged class" and must be recruited on contract basis to ensure accountability.

"Government servants must hereinafter come on contract basis. Then only they will have accountability. Three pages they type in a day. They don't want judicial department. They take recruitment in the High Court or District Court, they all go to Secretariat. There it is 3 pages to be typed in a day!" the judge said.

A bench of Justice Nagarathna and Justice R Mahadevan was hearing a case arising out of government employees' claims against the State. Before the High Court, when the State claimed that it did not have adequate funds to make the requisite payments, the High Court noted that the State was making expenditure on freebies, etc.

Before the Supreme Court, the respondents took a similar stance, pointing to Punjab's schemes and freebies. In this context, Justice Nagarathna commented that the respondents (government servants raising claims against the State) were a privileged class, while the freebies were meant for the marginalised groups.

When Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat (for respondents) said that there are hard-working government servants as well and not all can be painted with the same brush, the judge retorted that if government servants were so sincere, litigation in the country would come down. "State must act as a model employer", Kamat replied.

Questioning the accountability of government servants, J Nagarathna later said, "Pensions are being received by the families after death of the government servants. Who is [...]? Your own people are raising objection to release pension. Everywhere red-tapism, black-tapism. Where is accountability of government servant?"

The bench stayed the contempt proceedings against the Chief Secretary, saying that it cannot appreciate such "arm-twisting".

"You can't haul up Chief Secretary like this. Who is going to pay you?" Justice remarked.

Appearance: Sr Adv Vikas Singh, AAGs Vivek Jain, Mohd Irshad and Rajat Bharadwaj, AoR Karan Sharma (for State); Sr Advs PS Patwalia and Shadan Farasat (for PSPCL), AoR Siddhant Sharma; Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat and Advocate Ravi Sharma (for respondent)

Case : ADDITIONAL CHIEF SECRETARY Versus MANJEET SINGH RANDHAWA, SLP(C) No. 38661/2026 (and connected cases)