The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday gave Punjab time till September-end to file a status/compliance report in response to a contempt petition alleging wilful, deliberate, knowing and intentional violation of the court’s order directing it to release all pending installments of Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) to employees and pensioners at the rates applicable to members of the All India Services serving in Punjab.“The state counsel seeks short accommodation to file status report and/or the compliance report in the matter. At his request, adjourned to September 27,” Justice Harsh Bunger observed while taking up the petition filed by retired employees through counsel Jattvibeny Singla.The petitioners had moved the High Court under Article 215 of the Constitution and Section 12 of the Contempt of Courts Act seeking punishment of the State authorities for allegedly violating the Division Bench’s order dated August 3 passed in appeal “Additional Chief Secretary to Government of Punjab versus Nirmal Singh Dhanoa and others”.The appeal filed by the State of Punjab against the Single Judge’s order dated April 8 was dismissed by the Division Bench. The original direction, which continued to operate after dismissal of the State’s appeal, was explicit: “The State of Punjab and PSPCL are directed to grant and release all up-to-date pending installments of Dearness Allowance/Dearness Relief (DA/DR) to all its employees and pensioners, respectively, at the same rates as has been paid to the members of the All India Services (IAS/IPS/IFS) serving within the State of Punjab, in accordance with the Central Government pattern, within a fortnight.”According to the contempt petition, the petitioners, along with other employees and pensioner/employees unions, thereafter approached the respondents and supplied copies of the High Court order, requesting its implementation “in toto”. The fortnight granted by the court expired on August 17.However, instead of releasing the benefits, Under Secretary, Department of Finance, Punjab Civil Secretariat, Saroj, allegedly issued a letter dated August 17 to all the Secretaries stating: “No such orders may be implemented without prior concurrence of the FD or unless generalized directions are issued.”The petitioners contend that this communication amounted to a “wilful, deliberate, intentionally and knowingly violation” of the Division Bench’s order dated August 3.