Bombay High Court Orders Regularisation of Model College Staff After 10-Year Delay
The Bombay High Court has mandated the Maharashtra government to regularise staff at Model Colleges in Jalna and Hingoli, citing administrative negligence.
Court criticizes Maharashtra government for delaying staff regularisation for over a decade.
Staff appointed between 2011 and 2012 will be regularised from their initial appointment dates.
The state must clear salary arrears within six months or face interest penalties.
In a significant ruling, the Bombay High Court has directed the Maharashtra government to regularise the teaching and non-teaching staff at Model Colleges in Jalna and Hingoli, which have been pending for over ten years. The court's decision came after a division bench, comprising Justices Kishore Sant and Jitendra Jain, expressed strong disapproval of the state's inaction regarding proposals to sanction posts that had been submitted as early as 2011 and 2014.
The background of this case highlights the plight of several staff members, including assistant professors and clerical staff, who have been working under successive 11-month contracts since their appointments between 2011 and 2012. Despite their long service, these employees have faced continuous uncertainty regarding their employment status and salary, which has been consolidated and insufficient compared to their counterparts in other institutions.
The court found that the state government's argument that the posts were never sanctioned was untenable, noting that the proposals had been submitted by the university but remained unresolved. The judges emphasized that the government could not indefinitely delay decisions on these proposals, which should typically be addressed within a year. They ruled that any proposal pending for over a decade should be considered as approved.
This ruling has broader implications for the educational sector in Maharashtra, as it underscores the need for accountability and timely action from the government. The court's decision not only mandates the regularisation of staff but also highlights the disparities in pay and treatment between faculty members at Model Colleges and those in affiliated colleges, calling for equal remuneration for similar work.
Looking ahead, the Maharashtra government is required to implement the court's orders within six months, including the payment of salary arrears for the past three years. Failure to comply will result in the imposition of a 6% annual interest on the outstanding amounts. This ruling may set a precedent for similar cases in the future, reinforcing the rights of educational staff across the state.
