'Teachers have belly': HC slams Doon university over delay in salary

DEHRADUN: In a strongly worded judgment, Uttarakhand HC directed B R Ambedkar Inter College, Dehradun, to immediately disburse all pending salaries to its teaching and non-teaching staff, who have remained unpaid for the past three years. Terming the delay "inhumane", the court remarked, "Teachers are human beings... they have a belly. They need to eat too." The directive followed revelations that despite providing continued service, the college staff did not receive salaries due to the state govt's decision to withhold grants.

The institute was denied grant-in-aid status in 2015 on the grounds that it was newly established even though it had consistently demonstrated strong academic performance. Highlighting the school's academic record, the court pointed out that all 294 students who appeared in the 2021 board examinations passed, with 93 securing first division. The school maintained commendable results in 2022 and 2024, achieving an 82.7% pass rate in the most recent academic session. HC noted that the recruitment process had been properly conducted and that staff had diligently fulfilled their duties. However, the education department stalled appointments and withheld grant approval due to alleged irregularities, eventually blacklisting the institution.

In 2022, the director of education ordered the cancellation of all appointments made after Oct 25, 2016. HC later stayed this order, observing that the affected teachers were discharging their duties sincerely and that such administrative actions could not justify withholding their rightful salaries.

On Wednesday, HC said "mere procedural lapses in recruitment cannot be grounds to deny salaries to staff who've been working in students' interest".