The Delhi High Court has issued an order to temporarily halt the decision made by the Delhi Legislative Assembly Secretariat to terminate the services of Fellows participating in the Delhi Assembly Research Centre Fellowship Programme.

Justice Subramonium Prasad has requested the Secretariat to provide an explanation for its approval of terminating the Fellows' services midway, especially when the Speaker had expressed objections to such a decision.

The court has asked the authorities to respond within a two-week timeframe. Additionally, the court has ordered that the services of the petitioners should not be terminated and that they should continue to receive their stipends until the next hearing.

The court issued this order in response to a petition that challenged the decision to terminate the services of Fellows, Associate Fellows, and Associate Fellows (Media) participating in the Delhi Assembly Research Centre Fellowship Programme.

According to the petitioners, they were appointed in 2019 through a legitimate selection process following an advertisement. They also mentioned that the services of the Fellows had been consistently extended every two years. With the exception of a few individuals, their appointments were set to conclude in December 2024, as per the information provided to the Court.

The petitioners asserted that their services were terminated due to alleged violations of the reservation policy and the failure to obtain approval from the Lieutenant Governor.

The counsel representing the petitioners argued that both of the reasons cited for the termination of their services were legally unsustainable. They referred to a letter written by the Speaker on July 7, in which the Speaker had expressed the opinion that neither of the cited reasons applied to this case.

The court's order stated that since the Hon'ble Speaker had previously raised objections to the termination of the petitioners' services and those in similar circumstances, the court was issuing a notice to the respondents. The notice required them to explain why there had been a sudden change in the attitude of Respondent No.1 (presumably the Delhi Legislative Assembly Secretariat) in agreeing to terminate the positions of Fellows midway through their tenure.

The Court has scheduled the next hearing for this matter on December 12th.

Case: Subhashini Ratan & Ors V. Legislative Assembly Secretariat NCT of Delhi & Ors, W.P.(C) 12458/2023.