Guwahati, May 26: In a landmark judgment, the Gauhati High Court has directed Dispur to pay the pending salaries of a disabled schoolteacher, virtually reinstating him in his former post from which he had been dismissed.

Residents of Manipur village in Morigaon district, where the teacher lives, was jubilant. Activists of the region who are working for the disabled have also hailed the recent verdict as nothing less than ?a historic and landmark judgment?.

The Gauhati High Court has directed the state to clear the unpaid dues of physically challenged Prafulla Patar, an assistant teacher of Bishnu Rabha High School, Manipur, for the past six years.

The court has also directed that the unpaid amount should also carry an interest rate of six per cent per annum.

The Disability Law Unit, Northeast, had filed a writ petition on Patar?s behalf in the court against the state commissioner and secretary of education, the state director of secondary education and the inspector of schools, Morigaon. The officials have been charged with denying Patar his monthly salary and right to work in the school owing to a disability.

A severe stroke in 1999 had paralysed Patar, 46. After 18 months of treatment, Patar went back to work but was denied entry to the school by the authorities, who cited his 50 per cent disability. His monthly salary was also stopped though he never received any letter of termination.

Anju Talukdar, assistant project co-ordinator of the unit, pointed out that this move violated legal provisions. It was a clear violation of Section 47 of The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, which provides that persons with disabilities should not be discriminated against in government employment.

?Once we came to know about the injustice meted out to Patar, we decided to approach the court,? Talukdar added.

Kishor Mohan Bhattacharyya, a teacher of history at Gauhati University and an activist who works for disabled persons, said: ?The verdict of the case is indeed a milestone. This will serve as a precedent to help physically challenged persons get what they rightfully deserve.?

A jubilant Patar said over telephone: ?All credit goes to the Disability Law Unit, which came to me and took my case to court. Otherwise, I would have lost all hope.?