The Punjab and Haryana High Court has expressed concern over the continued disregard of judicial principles in service matters, observing that employees should not be forced into prolonged legal battles to secure their legitimate entitlements.“It is a matter of concern that, despite the passage of time and repeated judicial pronouncements, the foundational principles continue to be disregarded in service matters,” Justice Sandeep Moudgil observed while allowing a petition challenging Punjab’s decision to restrict an employee’s regularisation and consequential benefits to February 20, 2011.The petitioner, represented by advocates Manu K Bhandari and Arjun Sawhni, had challenged an October 4, 2017, order. The High Court quashed the order and directed the state to regularise his services from the date he became eligible under the applicable 2001 policy, release consequential benefits and pay arrears with 9 per cent annual interest from the date they became due until actual payment.The court was told that the employee had been appointed as a daily-wage Mali-cum-Chowkidar on May 17, 1996. Under the state government’s January 23, 2001, instructions, employees who had completed three years of service were eligible for regularisation.An order dated June 4, 2001, initially included him among 10 employees proposed for regularisation. However, his case was subsequently rejected and his services were later terminated. The Labour Court declared the termination illegal on October 13, 2005.