In a major relief to hundreds of teachers, the Bombay High Court has directed the Education Department to release pending salaries and ensure regular payments in the ongoing ‘Shalarth ID’ case.The order was issued on Tuesday by a division bench comprising Justice Mukulika Jawalkar and Justice Nandesh Deshpande while hearing a writ petition filed by affected teachers.
The court clearly stated that salary arrears from March 2025 must be paid and that future salaries should not be withheld.When the government sought eight weeks’ time to approach the Supreme Court, the bench declined the request, observing that teachers cannot be left without salaries for such an extended period.
The petition was filed by Shilpa Thakre and nine others, who said their salaries were abruptly stopped from March 2025 due to an inquiry into alleged irregularities in the issuance of Shalarth IDs. They argued that they were appointed through a proper selection process and had been receiving salaries regularly until February 2025.Representing the teachers, advocates Anand Parchure, Ram Parsodkar, Sachin Phuladi, and Sudhanshu Joshi contended that the Education Department’s action violated principles of natural justice, as no prior notice was issued.
The High Court also set aside the earlier order of the Deputy Director of Education cancelling the teachers’ recognition. However, it permitted the government to issue fresh show-cause notices if backed by concrete evidence of wrongdoing, such as fraud or misappropriation.Teachers said the sudden halt in salaries had caused severe financial strain, affecting loan repayments, children’s education, and medical expenses.
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