New Delhi: Expressing shock over deputation of teachers as personal secretaries and officers on special duty to ministers and MLAs in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana state, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the states to relieve those teachers forthwith.
Giving this direction a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and S. Nagappan directed the states to pass appropriate orders relieving them from the present posts within one week and said they should join as teachers within three weeks thereafter.
Senior counsel Vishwanath Shetty for TS submitted that the government has passed orders cancelling the deputation of such teachers. However, these teachers had filed an application that they may be allowed to continue in the present postings till the end of the academic year 2016-17.
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The bench said the teachers should be relieved and children studying in their classes who have been admitted to nearby schools should be readmitted without affecting the academic year.
The bench passed this order taking note of an application filed by advocate Sravan Kumar for the Telangana Parents Federation in the contempt case filed by advocate J.K. Raju relating to appointment of teachers in both the states.
The federation as far as TS is concerned said there is no accountability and proper supervision which is leading to absence of teachers in government schools. Quoting the report of the committee appointed by the High Court, it said the committee noticed the absence of teachers during their visit.
It said that teachers have been appointed for the schools where there are no students at all. The officials also appointed two to three teachers for schools where the student strength was below 10.
It said that a large number of teachers are working as Personnel Assistants and Officers on Special Duty for MLAs. Besides, government teachers are working in the Chief Minister’s Office and ministers’ offices on deputation which is not allowed as per the Right to Education Act.
When Mr Kumar submitted that even college professors have been deputed as Personal Secretaries to ministers and MLAs, the bench asked senior counsel to see that they are also relieved and posted back as professors.
The bench said it was not passing any order in the fond hope that the TS will take necessary steps to relieve the professors and posted the case for further hearing on September 15.
