New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Delhi government to release the remaining amount of two quarters to four Delhi University colleges, fully funded by it by November 9 to enable them to release pending salaries of teaching and non-teaching staff.

While passing the said directions, a division bench of the high court presided by Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad observed that the festival of Deepawali is round the corner and the government is depriving people of their salaries.

The court also asked the four colleges to release the pending salaries of teaching and non-teaching staff, after receiving funds from the Delhi government.

The four colleges are Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar College, Bhagini Nivedita College, Aditi Mahavidyalaya Women's College and Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies.

The directions were passed while the high court was hearing a plea by teachers seeking direction to the institutions, which are affiliated to the varsity and fully funded by the Delhi government, to release their salaries pending for the last four months.

The professors, who have filed the plea through advocate Kumar Utkarsh, have claimed that they are members of Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA), which on behalf of the aggrieved staff, has been writing to the Delhi government for release of funds to enable the colleges, funded by the government, to pay the salaries due to teachers and non-teaching staff working there.

The petitions sought directions against DU, Colleges and the Delhi government for payment of due salaries.

"...the impugned inactions are bad in law as much as same are unjust, arbitrary, discriminatory and hit by Article 14 of Constitution of India," the plea said.

The plea also stated that the impugned actions are bad in law as much as same is violative of right to life as well as right to livelihood as guaranteed under Article 21 of Constitution of India.