HC allows Ex-Iranian Embassy employee`s plea against MEA

New Delhi: Over a decade after a man was fired from his job, the Delhi High Court has directed the Centre to consider his plea for permission to file a case against his former employer, Iranian Embassy, for execution of a trial court order asking it to pay him nearly Rs eight lakh as dues.

The court also imposed Rs 25,000 as cost on the government and asked it to pay the amount to him within four weeks. Allowing the plea of Syed Ashraf Hasnain Rizvi recently, Justice Valmiki J Mehta set aside the External Affairs Ministry`s (MEA) March 2012 decision rejecting his application for permission to file the civil case against the Embassy after it failed to pay him the dues. "The appropriate authority will pass a speaking order giving reasons after hearing the petitioner and the petitioner (Rizvi) will be entitled to file written submissions which the appropriate authority will have to deal with while passing a speaking order. The decision will be now taken by the appropriate authority positively within a period of two months from today," Justice Mehta said. "The writ petition is allowed with costs of Rs 25,000 to be paid to the petitioner within four weeks. The respondent (Centre) is now directed to ensure that the appropriate authority passes an order in terms of the legal position enunciated by the Supreme Court...," the court said. According to Rizvi`s plea, he was working as Secretary in the Science and Education Section of the Embassy and in May 2002 his service was terminated. Being aggrieved by the Embassy`s decision, Rizvi filed a suit before a city court after obtaining the permission of the government. In November 2004, the trial court had decided his plea and ordered the Embassy to pay him Rs 7,89,600 as dues. PTI