The Delhi High Court on Wednesday said it will on October 3 pass an order on whether to modify its interim direction for the continuation of services of professionals engaged as fellows with the Delhi Assembly Research Centre (DARC).

The Assembly Secretariat had last month terminated the contracts of 116 DARC fellows, after which they moved the court.

Dealing with an appeal by the Secretariat and other authorities concerned seeking cancellation of the interim order passed by the court on September 21, Justice Subramonium Prasad ordered the matter to be listed for next week.

The Assembly Secretariat on Wednesday argued that the September 21 order cannot be sustained in view of the absence of sanction for the posts by the Delhi Lieutenant-Governor and given that the issue regarding control of services was pending before the Supreme Court.

The counsel for the petitioners had said that the services of the Assembly fellows, who were appointed following the due procedure, were terminated in an arbitrary manner.