7th Pay Commission: Delhi High Court steps in

The Delhi High Court has stepped into intervene in a matter pertaining to the 7th Pay Commission. The court issued notices to the Delhi government, MCDs and the Unaided Schools Association on a Public Interest Litigation seeking implementation of the pay panel's recommendations.

The court if it passes an order will benefit two lakh teaching and non-teaching staff. These are the employees working in over 2,000 unaided private schools in Delhi.

The Delhi high court has asked these authorities to submit the status report on the matter within six weeks, news agency ANI reported. The staff of private unaided schools in the national capital have been demanding the 7th Pay Commission benefits for a long time.

An NGO - Social Jurist - had filed a flea on May 18 in the court seeking the court's direction to the Delhi government and three municipal corporations to ensure implementation of 7th Pay Commission recommendation for over two lakh teaching and non-teaching staff.

The plea sought HC direction to authorities for appropriate action as per the provisions of the Delhi School Education Act against erring private schools. The NGO said that the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission be implemented to bring the pay, allowances and other benefits of staff of private unaided schools at par with those working schools run by the government, and three municipal corporations.

The salaries of staff of unaided private schools were revised with effect from January 1 as recommended by the 7th Pay Commission. The staff were also not paid their arrears.

Not only the unaided private schools are blatantly flouting the statutory mandate prescribed under the DSE Act, the authorities by not taking any action against the erring schools, appear to be absolutely apathetic towards the plight of over two lakh teaching and non-teaching employees working in the unaided private schools of Delhi, the plea added while also stating the inequality in pay was baseless and discriminatory.