Madhya Pradesh asks Supreme Court to set aside arrears for 70,000 teachers

The Madhya Pradesh government has asked the Supreme Court to set aside a High Court order to pay sixth pay scale arrears to about 70,000 teachers, Amar Ujala and Dainik Bhaskar reported on 10 November.

The order came from the Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur. It said the teachers should get the arrears and the pay increases that follow from the sixth pay scale.

In its petition, the State cites its finances. Paying the arrears from 2006 would cost about ₹5,600 crore, and the higher pay would add about ₹1,300 crore a year, the government says, according to Dainik Bhaskar.

Why it matters

For the teachers, the case is about years of pay they say they are owed. For the State, it is a large bill: ₹5,600 crore is a one-time cost, and the extra ₹1,300 crore would recur every year.

Amar Ujala reported that this is not the first time the government has gone to the Supreme Court over the teachers’ arrears.

The teachers’ associations had not responded publicly to the new petition when this story was published. The date of the Supreme Court hearing was not known.