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Aparna Banerji
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, December 3
A primary schoolteacher in Jalandhar, Inderpal Kaur (57), who is teaching at Government Primary School, Kasampur, has claimed that despite repeated proceedings and directions from the court, the Education Department is denying her dues as per the Assured Career Progression (ACP) for the past 12 years.
Her family also alleges that she has been harassed by the department, when these dues were sought, which issued a letter this year (16 years after she was appointed) terming her appointment illegal.
Appointed in 2002, while the first increment of her ACP benefits was to be provided in 2006 (after four years of her service), the subsequent ones in 2011 (after nine years) and the third in 2016 (after 14 years). However, it is only this year (12 years after the first Assured Career Progression was due) that the department made some of the payment (in five instalments) to her. An amount of Rs 1,91,167 is yet to be paid to her. A small part of her arrears had been paid in 2010-2013.
While the Education Department owes Inderpal Kaur a total amount of Rs 7,93,000 since 2006, of this, so far Rs 4,69,000 has been paid this year.
While the family filed a case against the department in October 2015, the first judgment of court on the issue came out on April 27, 2017, asking the department to pay up, on which the department filed an appeal against the judgment in a higher court in July. The same was dismissed on October 3, 2017, after which Inderpal’s family filed an execution of the first judgment in December 2017. Proceedings in the case are going on at present in the court.
On September 24 this year, the Education Department also issued a letter terming her appointment illegal (citing that only a widow and not the wife of a living ex-serviceman could be eligible for the ‘profit of government service’).
The DEO (P), hence, sought from the Deputy Director, Sainik Welfare, seeking a verification report on the rules as per which her ‘Dependent certificate for employment’ had been issued.
The District Defence Services Welfare Officer overturned the request, saying there was no policy or notification of the state or the Central government, as per which a living ex-serviceman’s wife could not be entitled to these benefits.
Husband of Inderpal Kaur, Lt Col SP Singh (retd), said: “My wife’s colleagues, who were appointed in the same year and belonging to the same block, have been paid their dues but the department is repeatedly harassing my wife. She was targeted after we filed a court case. Her appointment was also termed illegal by the department on a flimsy basis 16 years after her appointment.”
The department is now saying to us that dues paid to her are in excess of the requisite payment but it still owes us almost Rs 2 lakh. We demand these dues be paid immediately without any further harassment to my wife,” he added.
Meanwhile, district education officer (DEO P) Rampal said: “The matter is sub judice so we can’t say much over it. We have already given payment in excess. We have given them Rs 2,87,000 more amount than what was supposed to be given.
“As far as the matter of the appointment of the teacher is concerned, it was an issue between the Education Department and the Sainik Welfare Department regarding which there was no communication with the teacher as such,” he said.
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