New Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI) The Delhi High Court today gavethe AAP government six weeks to implement a decision toregularise around 180 Kashmiri migrant teachers who have beenworking in municipal and government schools on contractualbasis for the last 13 years.
If the Delhi government fails to regularise theseteachers, then its Principal Secretaries of Education andServices shall be present in the court on the next date ofhearing on December 8, said a bench of Justices S RavindraBhat and Deepa Sharma.
The bench termed as a "dilatory tactic" the AAPgovernment's move to ask the Union Public Service Commission(UPSC) to look into the regularisation of Kashmiri migrantteachers, an issue which has received the assent of itsCabinet in July this year, as well as the endorsement of theLieutenant Governor (LG) Anil Baijal in August.
The letter to the UPSC was sent by the Directorate ofEducation of the Delhi government.
The bench frowned upon this step, asking why UPSC's viewwas sought when it has no say in recruitments for the Delhigovernment.
It "prima facie appears to be a dilatory tactic," thecourt said.
The direction of the bench came while hearing thegovernment's appeal challenging a 2015 order of a single judgeof the High Court directing regularisation of the Kashmirimigrant teachers employed on contractual basis in governmentand municipal schools in the national capital since 1994.
The 2015 order of the High Court had come on the plea ofthe migrant teachers who were seeking equal pay and workbenefits as well as regularisation of jobs, after theirrepresentations to the Centre and the Delhi government hadfailed to get them any relief.
While issuing the direction, the single judge had saidthe difference in pay was substantial.
The court had noted that according to 2015 figures,regular PGT and TGTs in government schools were getting Rs70,401 and Rs 60,496, respectively, while the migrant teachersin these categories were getting Rs 29,187 and Rs 28,773.
In municipal schools, while regular teachers were in 2015getting Rs 49,900, the migrant teachers were being paid Rs25,000, it had said.
The court had also noted that while regular teachers werealso given allowances and benefits like 10 per cent of schoolfees for child education, medical benefit for the entirefamily, bonus of Rs 3,454 per year, LTC of Rs 1,50,000 aboveonce every four years and two months summer vacation, theKashmiri migrant teachers were allowed only eight days ofcasual leave. PTI HMP PPS SKVAKK.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.