Dress Allowance – MES Workers Win Long Legal Battle in Uttarakhand
Dress Allowance – For nearly a decade, civilian employees of the Military Engineer Services in Uttarakhand remained without a government-approved dress allowance, despite repeated appeals and favorable court rulings. The matter was resolved only after a contempt petition was filed against senior defence officials, prompting the release of long-pending dues.
The dispute revolved around an annual dress allowance of ₹5,000, which the Centre had notified following the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission. The benefit, effective from July 1, 2017, applied to central government employees, including civilian staff working under the Military Engineer Services (MES), an organization that provides critical engineering support to the Indian Army.
Long-Standing Demand for Approved Entitlement
The affected employees maintained that the allowance was not a discretionary benefit but a formally sanctioned entitlement. Among those who took the matter forward was Anand Singh Negi, an MES employee based in Clement Town, Dehradun. He approached the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), seeking implementation of the allowance in line with existing government policy. Employee unions representing MES staff also filed separate applications to strengthen the case.
Despite the clear notification and earlier rulings on similar matters, the allowance was not disbursed to the Uttarakhand workers for years. The employees argued that the delay placed an unnecessary financial burden on staff who form a key part of the Army’s civilian support system.
Tribunal Flags Administrative Silence
During proceedings, the Central Administrative Tribunal expressed concern over what it described as prolonged inaction by the authorities. Records presented before the bench showed that employees had submitted formal representations on September 4, 2022, and August 12, 2023. When those submissions went unanswered, they followed up with reminders dated September 4, September 18, and September 20, 2024.
The tribunal noted that these representations were still awaiting a final decision. The absence of a response from the defence ministry and MES authorities became a central issue in the case, highlighting administrative delays rather than a dispute over policy interpretation.
Earlier Judgments on Identical Issue
In its order dated November 18, 2024, the tribunal observed that similar cases had already been decided by other benches. Judgments delivered by the Chandigarh bench in 2020 and 2023, as well as by the Guwahati bench in 2023, had addressed the same issue and ruled in favor of employees seeking the dress allowance.
Taking note of these precedents, the tribunal directed the defence ministry and the concerned department to examine the pending representations and pass a reasoned order within two months, keeping those earlier rulings in mind.
Contempt Petition Targets Senior Officials
When the stipulated deadline expired without compliance, the employees returned to the tribunal. This time, they filed a contempt petition naming five senior officials, including the defence secretary, alleging non-compliance with the tribunal’s order.
The matter gained urgency after the contempt plea was admitted for hearing. During the proceedings, counsel representing the ministry informed the bench that the earlier directive had been implemented in full. Following this submission, the workers finally received the allowance that had been pending since 2017.
Relief After Years of Litigation
The resolution brought closure to a legal battle that spanned nearly nine years. For the affected MES employees in Uttarakhand, the outcome reaffirmed the importance of judicial oversight in ensuring that government-notified benefits are implemented without undue delay.
While the financial amount involved was modest, the case underscored broader concerns about administrative accountability and timely execution of tribunal orders. With the dues now released, the workers’ prolonged struggle has come to an end, marking a significant development in the enforcement of central government employee benefits.