HC slams Tawade for making teachers open accounts in ‘corrupt’ banks

The BJP leader had accused the same banks of indulging malpractices and even gone to the Governor seeking action against them

In a major setback for the Maharashtra government, the Education Ministry, in particular, the Bombay High Court on Friday scrapped a 2017 Government Resolution (GR). The GR compelled the teachers and the non-teaching staff working in government-run schools to open an account with Mumbai and other District Cooperative Banks.

A division bench of Justice Bhushan Gavai and Justice B P Colabawala heard a batch of petitions challenging the June 2017 GR issued by the Education Ministry.

Earlier, before this GR, the teachers and also the non-teaching staff were at liberty to open their accounts with any nationalised banks. The government accordingly deposited their salaries in their respective accounts. However, in June last year, the government through this GR asked its staff (teaching and non-teaching) to open an account in district banks, from which they can withdraw their salaries.

The teachers in their petition highlighted the fact that the current Education Minister Vinod Tawade had in 2013 while being in opposition, accused the district cooperative banks of indulging in malpractices

The Bombay High Court on Friday set aside a 2017 government resolution that made the Mumbai District Co-operative Bank (MDCB) the official bank for disbursal of salaries to teachers in aided schools in the megapolis. A division bench of Justices BR Gavai and BP Colabawalla also came down heavily on state education minister Vinod Tawade for issuing such an ‘irrational’ resolution.

and illegal activities. However, after coming to power, Tawade has come in support of these banks.

Having heard the contentions of all the parties and also considering the facts of the case, Justice Gavai said, “We fail to understand as to why the education minister is now supporting these banks, given the fact that when he was not a minister, he had accused the banks of indulging in malpractices. The minister had even gone to the Governor seeking action against these district banks.”

“We do not find any rationale and application of mind in issuing the impugned GR in June 2017. Thus, we quash and set aside the said GR and make it clear that the government will have to follow the earlier mechanism,” the judges added.

This means the government will now have to deposit the salaries of the teachers and the non-teaching staff in their previous accounts. Also, they will not be running from pillar-to-post to open a new account with the district cooperative banks.