HC admits PIL challenging govt employees’ strike notice

Vijayawada: The high court on Friday said it will consider the public interest litigation challenging the strike notice given by employees unions in protest of PRC GOs. The court said it is hoping that the government will take measures to prevent unlawful activities and posted the matter for further hearing to February 10.
Nadendla Sambasiva Rao, a retired professor from Visakhapatnam, moved the high court seeking directions to declare the strike notice by employees unions as illegal.The counsel for the petitioner, S Sharath Kumar, pleaded the court to hear the matter on urgent basis as the employees have given notice to go on strike from February 7. The high court bench comprising C Praveen Kumar and K Manmadha Rao allowed the matter as lunch motion.
Sharath Kumar argued that government employees going on strike is in violation of the Constitution and also service rules according to Supreme Court judgements. They gathered in huge numbers in the name of ‘Chalo Vijayawada’ violating Covid-19 guidelines, he said, finding fault with the state government for not taking any action to prevent the strike.
Responding to the arguments, the high court observed that the employees are not going on strike as yet. The court further noted that ‘pen down’ agitation is not strike.
Arguing on behalf of the state government, advocate general S Sriram said the government is always open for talks. Responding to a query from the bench, the advocate general said the government did not give permission to ‘Chalo Vijayawada’ march.
The high court said the state government should take steps to ensure Covid-19 guidelines are implemented. The bench also said that the employees also should take note of the Covid situation. Turning down the request of Sharath Kumar for interim orders, the high court said they are not going into that point at this stage as they do not know how things will evolve.