Taking a stern view of the non-compliance with its directives, the Bombay High Court has ordered the Maharashtra government to withhold the salary of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Solapur Zilla Parishad for a month. This comes after repeated failure to pay the salaries of teachers despite prior court orders.
A division bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Ashwin Bhobe, orally remarked that the CEO should experience what it feels like to go without a salary.
The case involves three teachers who challenged the termination of their appointments. They contended that despite being eligible, they were initially denied participation in the Teachers Aptitude and Intelligence Test (TAIT) required for school recruitment. Following relief from the High Court in 2023, they cleared the tests and secured appointments. However, two FIRs were later registered regarding alleged fraud in the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) conducted in December 2022, with results declared in March 2023.
Despite obtaining ‘character certificates’ from the local police, as required by the administration, the teachers were appointed to Solapur Zilla Parishad schools in May 2024. By October 2024, they received termination letters.
When the matter first came before the court on November 26, 2024, the bench had issued notices to the respondents and indicated that it might decide the case at the admission stage itself. Meanwhile, the court had ordered the CEO to ensure the petitioners’ unpaid salaries were cleared by January 14, 2025. It took note of the fact that the petitioners were not paid despite having worked for over eight months. However, when the case was heard again on January 28, it was revealed that the teachers had still not been paid.
Frustrated by the lack of compliance, the judges, on January 28, ordered the state government to halt the CEO’s salary until the petitioners received their dues. “We are directing the State Government to stop the salary of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Zilla Parishad, Solapur since our order has been disobeyed. The salary would be stopped until the salary of these Petitioners is paid,” the bench said in its order.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for March 5, 2025.
