Calcutta High Court on Monday directed the state education department not to disburse till further orders the salary of the Howrah district inspector of schools, who had stopped paying the salaries of eight staff members of a Sankrail school.

The petitioner teachers and non-teaching employees, whose services were approved on the basis of an earlier order, are not getting their salaries since March.

Justice Tapen Sen, in his order, also asked Udayan Bhowmik, the district inspector, to appear before him on July 7 and state why a contempt rule should not be issued against him for violating the court’s directive. The judge directed the education department to disburse of salaries of the eight employees immediately.

Shyamalendu Mondal and seven other employees of Podra Mahakali Vidyalaya moved a petition saying the district inspector had issued a notice on March 17 stating that the salaries of the eight would not be disbursed till further orders.

Advocate Ekramul Bari, who represented the petitioners, said the district inspector’s notification was issued after the managing committee of the school (which does not include the eight) refused to appoint as teachers four candidates sent by the School Service Commission.

“The district inspector does not have the right to stop the salaries of my clients for any action taken by the school’s managing committee,” he added.

The school became a high school from a junior high school in 2006 and came under the purview of the school education department. After the conversion, the department had declined to pay the petitioners’ salaries. They moved the court in 2006.

In response to their petition, the high court had issued an order asking the education department to approve the appointments of the petitioners and disburse their salaries according to government rules.

“After the court order, my clients were appointed and were being paid their salaries regularly. But as the managing committee declined to appoint candidates send by the School Service Commission, the district inspector stopped paying their salaries,” said Bari.