Teachers have protested against the pay verification order claiming that it is an example of the government infringing on the autonomy of the universities.

Various teachers’ bodies like Federation of University Teachers’ Association of Bihar and Federation of University (Service) Teachers’ Associations of Bihar have declared that none of their members would fill up the pay-verification forms. Patna University Teachers’ Association (Puta) has also opposed the initiative of the government.

Bihar State Education Infrastructure Development Corporation (BSEIDC) had issued a directive last month to all universities to furnish details about their constituent colleges and employees to help the pay verification cell of the health department monitor the funds management in the institutions.

Senior academics, however, have a bone of contention with the order.

Puta general secretary S.B. Lall, also commerce teacher at Patna University, said the pay verification initiative was illogical. “Teachers would have to run to the secretariat to get their salaries verified. Why should those who have been working for 20-30 years have to run around government offices to get their pay verified? It has no logic,” he said, adding that some of the documents teachers have been asked to provide would cause more trouble.

Lall said: “Teachers have been asked to provide a notice on the basis of which they were appointed. How can people working for two or three decades provide such documentation? Was the government paying salaries for so many years without any records?”

Other teachers shared his outrage.

Teacher of English at Patna University, Shiva Jatan Thakur, said: “The formation of the pay verification cell to scrutinise the earnings of university teachers and employees is an example of the executive infringing on the autonomy of the universities.”

A former member of Bihar Public Service Commission and an expert in university matters, Thakur said: “According to sections 3, 34 and 37 of the Bihar State Universities Act, 1976, must be done by the universities themselves while adhering to the provisions of the Section 37 of the act. The only person whose consent is required is the chancellor (the governor). The state government does not have any power to verify the salaries of teachers.”

He added that the executive wing (the health department in this case) had no power to overrule an act of law.

Though the teachers have been quite vocal about their reservations about scrutiny into their pay, the authorities concerned claim that no one has lodged a complaint with them yet.

Bihar State Education Infrastructure Development Corporation managing director Sanjeevan Sinha said: “The department has not received any written letter from any teachers’ body protesting against the pay verification cell.”