Ranchi – The Jharkhand High Court has reprimanded the state government for not paying pension and gratuity to retired madrasa teachers, despite court directions issued nearly a decade earlier.
Terming the lapse “serious,” Justice Ananda Sen has ordered the Principal Secretary of School Education and Literacy, Rahul Purwar, and the Director of Secondary Education and Literacy to appear in person at the next hearing of a contempt petition. The court noted that the state had failed to comply with its order dated June 13, 2024.
The officers have also been asked to explain why contempt action should not be taken against them for “wilful and deliberate” disobedience.
The petitioners informed the court that the government issued a 2014 resolution stopping pension and gratuity for madrasa teachers retiring after that year. The High Court struck down this resolution on October 24, 2014, directing the government to release all due benefits. But the petitioners say the order was ignored.
The state later submitted an affidavit claiming that payments had been made, but the petitioners contradicted this, saying none of them had received any money. Led by Mohammad Aijabul Haque, the affected teachers again moved the court, accusing officials of misleading the judiciary.
With conflicting claims on record, the court has instructed the concerned officials to provide a clear status report at the next hearing, scheduled after eight weeks.
With inputs from IANS