The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court had pulled up the state Urban Development Secretary and ordered immediate personal appearance after the department failed to file a reply for three years in a case concerning pension benefits for municipal council teachers.
Following the court’s order, the state government informed the High Court that it would begin the process of filing replies within a month in all pending cases related to the department across the state’s various High Court benches.
The case originated from a 2020 petition filed by the Maharashtra State Municipal Council Secondary and Higher Secondary Teachers’ Association, seeking government-service-equivalent benefits, including pension, for teaching and non-teaching staff in municipal council schools statewide.
After the court noted the three-year delay in filing a response, the department issued a government order applying the National Pension System (NPS) to the teachers concerned and submitted it to the court. During the hearing, petitioners’ counsel argued that the criteria set for applying NPS under the order were unjust, prompting the court to direct a formal affidavit on the issue.
The next hearing is scheduled for August 10. Advocates M.D. Wahane and C.F. Bhagwani appeared for the petitioners, and advocate Mahesh Dhatrak for the municipal council.
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