Bhubaneswar: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said paying Rs 9,000 per month to Home Guards is nothing but exploitation and asked the Odisha Government to reconsider its decision.
“To pay Rs 9,000 per month is nothing but exploitation. How a Home Guard personnel can survive and maintain his family members on payment of Rs 9,000 p.m. only when he is performing almost the same/similar duties which is performed by other police personnel,” said a Bench of Justices MR Shah and BV Nagarathna.
The SC said it is also not in dispute that many of the home guards are working for more than 15 years.
“The other police personnel in the State are getting approximately Rs 21,700 plus DA (dearness allowance) as per the recommendations made by the Seventh Pay Commission (after 6 years of their contractual appointment),” it added.
Scheduling the matter for further hearing in July, the bench said: “Therefore, we direct the state government to reconsider its earlier decision of paying Rs 9,000 per month only to the home guards.”
The Apex Court made these observations while hearing an appeal against an order of the Orissa High Court division bench, directing the State Government to pay payment at the rate of Rs 533 per day to the home guards from January, 2020, instead of November 10, 2016.
