GIA for teachers: SC quashes contempt pleas against state

New Delhi: The Supreme Court (SC) Thursday disposed of a batch of contempt petitions filed by the block grant teachers against the School and Mass Education (S&ME) department of Odisha government for not complying with the apex court’s order on grant-in-aid.
A two-judge bench comprising Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Indira Banerjee observed that no contempt would be made out on the commissioner-cum-secretary of S&ME department. The bench disposed of 13 contempt petitions with certain observations.
“If you have better entitlement, you should approach the education tribunal but no contempt is to be made out,” the bench ruled.
Earlier, the counsel representing the state government made his submission in the SC that the Odisha government is complying with the order of apex court.
Notably, the SC February 6, 2017 had directed the state government to pay the arrears of the teachers as per their entitlement.
Subsequently, October 4, 2017, the Additional Solicitor General while arguing for the state government had submitted to the court, “The state government has decided to give grant-in-aid. As per the negotiated settlement, all employees of block grant institutions will get grant–in-aid with effect from January 1, 2018.”
The state government had also issued a gazette notification October 22, 2017 discussing its plans for paying the teachers.
The SC November 14, 2017, had disposed of cases filed by more than 5,000 aggrieved block grant teachers who had approached the apex court seeking fulfilment of their demands by the state government. “The teachers have been demanding grant-in-aid from 1994. Earlier, we had proposed to start it by 2004. However, we preponed it by three years and started the same 2001. The court has disposed of the petitions and given liberty to the teachers to approach the educational tribunal,” said Advocate Shivashankar Mishra.
The court while disposing of the case stated that those who are ready to avail the benefits as envisaged by the state government are free to accept that and those who still feel aggrieved, have the liberty to approach a competent judicial authority in the state.