Primary school teachers who began a boycott of midday meal duties from Thursday found support from Allahabad High Court, which ruled that their duty was to instruct students and not supervise cooking of meals.

Around 3 lakh teachers kept away from duty even as the government said it would inform the Supreme Court at whose directive the supervision was being implemented.

Bihar Primary School Teachers’ Association president Brajnandan Sharma said the supervision duty interfered with teaching and gave disrepute to teachers because of the corruption by others. “We have repeatedly requested the government to appoint an agency to oversee the midday meals but nothing has been done so far,” said Sharma.

Education department principal secretary Amarjeet Sinha said 20 per cent schools were affected by the strike. In 2004, the Supreme Court had given the instruction that teachers should not go on strike because they do not have the right to stop the midday meal given to the children.

The Allahabad High Court, while hearing PIL filed by Meerut-based Uttar Pradesh Pradhanacharya Parishad directed the government of Uttar Pradesh to have a uniform policy regarding supervision of midday meals.

While hearing another PIL seeking a judicial inquiry into the death of 23 children in Saran after eating a midday meal on July 16, the Patna High Court asked the petitioner to return within two weeks with more data.