HC awards ₹50K relief to Punjab teacher not allowed to join duty

NEHA BHAGAT, WHO WAS SELECTED FOR POST OF PUNJABI MISTRESS AND ISSUED APPOINTMENT LETTER , WAS NOT ALLOWED TO JOIN DUTY FOR 14 MONTHS

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed the Punjab government to pay ₹50,000 as compensation to a teacher who was not allowed to join her duties for 14 months.

The high court acted on the plea of one Neha Bhagat, who was selected for post of Punjabi mistress and issued an appointment letter, but when she went to join her duty on February 16, 2006, she was not allowed to do so.

As per the petition, then district education officer (secondary), Jalandhar, had referred the matter to director (education), observing that Punjabi was not her compulsory subject but an elective one.

The matter kept hanging in the balance for about 14 months, before the DEO on 14 February 2008 permitted Bhagat to join her duties as Punjabi mistress on the basis of decision taken by DPI, secondary education, Punjab.

The DPI had opined that it had been decided to allow all those candidates to join duty, who had passed BA with Punjabi as a compulsory or elective subject. She joined her duty on February 16, 2008.

She had approached the high court in 2015, claiming the monetary benefits for the 14 months period.

In response, the department had claimed that it would treat this time as duty period towards pay fixation and sanction of increments, but declined to pay arrears of salary.

The high court while holding that she was not entitled for salary to the said period, but for the reasons that petitioner was not to be blamed for not discharging duties, allowed her a compensation of ₹50,000 to be paid by Punjab government.