SHILLONG : Bills submitted by Meghalaya’s Judicial Officers have been left pending for years, with one dating back to 2014. The Meghalaya High Court has now ordered the government to clear the dues and pay 9 per cent annual interest for the delay.
A bench of Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice W. Diengdoh passed the order on Wednesday while hearing a petition filed by the Registrar General of the High Court. The court had earlier called the Law and Finance department secretaries to explain why several claims had remained unpaid for such long periods. Both officials appeared before the bench.
Among the cases cited was a ₹57,680 bill pending since October 2014. Court records showed it was still lying in the e-Proposal system without a sanction order.
Another bill of ₹15,860 had been with the Law Department since 2017, while ₹22,126 had remained pending since June 2018. The court questioned why even relatively small amounts had not been released after years.
The Advocate General told the bench that the pending proposals would now be taken up and that the bills of Judicial Officers would be processed and paid within two weeks. The court went further and ordered 9 per cent interest on the delayed bills from the date they were submitted until payment.
Bills pending from 2022 onwards have also been ordered to be cleared within two weeks.
The Law Department has additionally been asked to conduct an inquiry into the delays and take appropriate action against those found responsible. The hearing also touched on the unresolved issue involving GPO land near the High Court.
The court asked the Advocate General and Deputy Solicitor General of India to meet officials from the GPO, PWD and Urban Affairs Department and work towards resolving the matter.
The case will come up again on September 7, 2026.
