The High Court of Tripura on Tuesday reiterating the concept of equal pay for equal work has directed the state government to offer over 4,000 teachers appointed under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), regular pay scale to those who have crossed the mandatory fixed pay tenure of five years, senior advocate Somik Deb said.  

According to Deb, the High Court division bench comprising Chief Justice Akil Kureshi and Justice SG Chattopadhyay while hearing two petitions filed by two teachers in the year 2014 also directed the government to ensure that the necessary steps are taken to incorporate the teachers, having passed ten years in service, in the regular cadre. For that, the Court has given all the liberties to the government to roll out a new scheme or create additional posts if necessity emerges within the six months of the order, senior advocate Somik Deb told reporters after the judgment.

Deb also said, “in its order, the Court has specifically said that the teachers should be given the regular pay scale starting from the competition of five years of services And, all of the teachers should be brought under the purview of the regular cadre with ten years of service. It literally means no teacher, who has served more than ten years in their respective position, can be treated as if serving in the non-regular category ”. According to Deb, all the benefits ought to be given within the stipulated time frame of six months and their past services had been directed to be counted for pension benefits.

Senior advocate Purushottam Roy Barman, another lawyer representing the teachers, said, “there were altogether two petitions against which the judgment was given. As per the directions passed by the Court, all the teachers would get the benefit of the regular pay scale. From the teacher’s end arguments were advanced highlighting the discrimination of pay structure. More than 4,000 teachers under the SSA scheme were discharging similar duties in primary and upper-primary levels if compared to the regular teachers. The Court, hearing all the arguments, had pronounced the orders on the side of the victimized teachers''.

According to Roy Barman, although only two teachers had moved the Court, the Judgement would be effective for all the teachers appointed under the scheme and no one had to move the Court once again for the same reason.

On being asked about the arrears, he said, “arrears for the services of the teachers would be counted with effect from the day of judgment and the directions given to the government ought to be carried out within six months”.