SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, July 21: The retired teachers of Jharkhand universities would get gratuity of the seventh pay scale and 300 days leave encashment facilities in 8 weeks.
A single bench of Justice Dr SN Pathak while hearing the petition of Dr Asit Ranjan Batabyal, associate professor of Chas College, a constituent college of Binod Bihari Mahto Koylanchal University (BBMKU) Dhanbad, has directed the university as well as the state government to pay him seventh pay gratuity in 8 weeks.
As per the seventh pay scale, teachers have to get a maximum of Rs 20 lakh gratuity. But in Jharkhand, teachers are still paid a maximum of Rs 10 lakh of the sixth pay scale.
Retired teacher Dr Batabyal had knocked the door of the Jharkhand HC for the payment of the seventh pay scale gratuity. The Court of Justice Pathak in his judgement delivered recently said that the petitioner has a good cause and is entitled to gratuity at the enhanced rate (Rs 20 lakh).
Justice Pathak directed Dr Batabyal to file a fresh representation to the university with documents as well as a copy of the order. The court also directed the university to disburse the amount to the petitioner within eight weeks of receiving the order copy as per the Rules, Statutes and the Standing Order in view of the aforesaid Resolution.
The HC while hearing the petition questioned that when the government had cleared in 2018 Statutes that teachers would be given pay, pension and gratuity as per the seventh pay scale then why the retired teachers are not paid the same?
Notably, the teachers of Jharkhand universities are being paid on the scale of the seventh pay and other benefits from 1-1- 2016. But gratuity is still being given on the sixth pay scale (Rs 10 lakh).
The irony is that even non-teaching staff of university/ college are being paid gratuity of the seventh pay scale. In the universities of Bihar and Bengal teachers are already getting gratuity of the seventh pay scale.
In Jharkhand, only Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University Ranchi has started paying the seventh pay gratuity to its teachers. Vice-chancellor Dr Tapan Kumar Shandilya has paid three retired teachers a seventh pay gratuity (Rs 20 lakh) and sent the list of other retired teachers to the state government for payment.
In the wake of the High Court order, a delegation of the BBMKU retired teachers under Prof SKL Das met Vice-Chancellor Dr Sukheo Bhoi on Monday and gave a representation for paying the seventh pay gratuity. The V-C gave a positive sign to implement it.
Earlier, the court of Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad while hearing the common petitions of seven teachers, including Kolhan University’s Dr Mahendra Nath Tiwary, Dr Prakash Kumar Verma (Ranchi University), Dr Lal Girij Shankar Nath Shahdeo (Ranchi University), Dr Sanjay Mishra (Ranchi University), Dr Umesh Chandra Mehta (Ranchi University), Dr Uday Kumar (Ranchi University) and Dr Ashok Kumar Choudhary (Ranchi university) directed to pay a gratuity of seventh pay and 300 days earned leave encashment facility.
At present, the teachers in Jharkhand have leave encashment of 180 days but in the seventh pay scale, they are entitled to get 300 days.
A retired professor of Ranchi University said for leave encashment the cut-off date has been fixed as 6-8-2021. Those who retired before 6-8-2021 would get 180 days leave encashment while those teachers who retired after that would get 300 days facility.
