HC slaps fine on school for disobeying tribunal order

Madurai, Jun 30 () Madras High Court bench here today imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the management of a government-aided school in Salem district for disobeying the orders of the State Education tribunal to reinstate a dismissed headmistress. Allowing an appeal by M Jegajothi, a division bench comprising Justices K K Sasidharan and B Gokuldas directed the management of National Girls Higher Secondary School in Rasipuram to pay arrears of salary to the appellant from the period of June 1977 to May 1983, along with 12 per cent interest, when she was under suspension and dismissal.The amount should be paid before July 18, the court said while directing the Education department officials to fix her pension, by treating her as retired from service as a headmistress from the school, on May 2000. "The appellant should be considered as Headmistress of the Higher Secondary school on the date of her retirement on May 31, 2000. She is also eligible to claim the benefits of periodical revision of pension and more particularly revision made pursuant to the sixth pay commission report," the bench said. The pension should be refixed as expeditiously as possbile before July 29 and the arrears also should be paid with 12 per cent interest before Aug 8 this year, the bench added. The petitioner submitted that she was suspended and dismissed from service for failing two girl students hailing from influential families, on 1977, following which she had petitioned the state education tribunal, which had ordered her reinstatement. She further said the management did not reveal the tribunal order to the high court. Recording the submissions, the bench said the education department officials were wrong when they permitted the school management to appoint a headmaster, after ordering it to reinstate her as headmistress, as per the tribunal order. SSN ROH VS