HC asks Govt to pay salaries to shunted teachers
Contempt notice spurs Govt
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 13 2011: The Gauhati High Court, Imphal Bench has directed the Government of Manipur to clear the salaries and pending arrears to teachers of schools under Autonomous District Councils, whose appointments had been annulled after a brief period in service.

The Court had decreed that payment of salaries and arrears should be cleared within three months which the Government failed to comply with consequently leading to the Court slapping contempt of court notice on the SPF Government earlier this year.

According to an informed source, the State Cabinet approved fresh recruitment of 278 teachers for schools under the six ADCs for which the DPC was conducted in 2006 .

Contrary to the number of post approved by the Cabinet, the enrolment exceeded the stipulated figure by over 835 post of teachers consequently leading to termination of the excess enrolment by the Government in 2009 .

It is said that the excess teachers for schools under the ADCs of Senapati, Kangpokpi, Ukhrul, Churachandpur, Chandel and Tamenglong remained in service till the year of their termination even though salaries were paid only upto April/May, 2007 .

While disclosing that even after the termination process was initiated fresh DPCs were conducted in the latter part of 2009 and at the beginning of 2010, the source said some of the shunted teachers filed 18 different cases in the Gauhati High Court, Imphal Bench insisting that the pending salaries for the period they remained in service along with the arrears be paid.

With the court directive on the issue of recruitment and subsequent termination of service of the excess teachers under the Tribal Development and Hills Department not complied with, 14 of the shunted teachers re-approached the same court seeking contempt of Court action against the Government.

The latest Court directive reportedly spurred the Government to constitute a high-power committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary which deliberated on the matter in July this year.

As the total expenditure in clearing the pending salaries and arrears would amount to about Rs 15 crores, the committee in its July seating decided to ascertain veracity of the shunted teachers' claim for salaries and arrears, maintained the source.

It further revealed that as part of the verification process service of forensic experts was sought to determine number of days the teachers reported for duty or were at their respective place of posting (school) .

The source said based on the instruction of the high-power committee, officials of Tribal Development and Hills Department collected attendance registers of schools under the ADCs for the specified period.

The seized attendance registers are currently under examination at the Pangei-based Manipur Police Forensic science Laboratory, informed the source.

Even though genuineness of the teachers' attendance record is under examination, officials of the Pangei Laboratory citing man-power inadequacy compared to the workload have reportedly suggested to the Tribal Development Hills Department authorities for referring the case to other laboratories.

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