In Brief
Following the 2014 Andhra Pradesh reorganization, disputes arose over allocation of 1,157 employees between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh power utilities. The Supreme Court established a One Man Committee chaired by former judge D.M. Dharmadhikari to determine modalities and finalize allocation. The Committee's Concluding Report (June 20, 2020) allocated 655 employees to each state (reciprocal allocation). The Court approved this list and declared it binding (December 7, 2020). Despite this, Telangana Power Utilities issued office orders in December 2020 excluding 84 employees from the approved list. The Court held this constituted contempt through willful disobedience and found Telangana liable for punishment. However, before sentencing, the Court gave Telangana two weeks to absorb the 84 employees and directed payment of back salary and benefits from their relief date.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.