The high court on Thursday directed the state education department to pay at least Rs 14,500 — the minimum basic pay of assistant teachers — to 11 teachers working on contract at state-aided secondary schools.

Teachers working on contract at state-aided schools are now paid Rs 8,000 a month.

Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya of Calcutta High Court issued the order followed petitions by Barun Ghosh of East Midnapore and 10 other contractual teachers. All work in various schools in the state and they have demanded their salaries be raised.

The order, according to legal experts, is significant considering there are close to 150,000 teachers working on contract at 16,000-odd secondary schools on contract and everyone can make the same demand citing the order.

“The order has far reaching effects. The 150,000 teachers working in various schools on contract will now have the liberty to use the order as a precedence,” a senior high court lawyer said.

This could result in a huge financial burden for the state government, a school education department official said.

The contractual teachers were initially offered a consolidated salary of Rs 6,000 a month.

The monthly remuneration was increased by Rs 1,000 a month in two phases by the Trinamul government.

Moving the petition of Barun Ghosh and others, advocate Lakshmi Gupta had told the court in June: “The contractual teachers are required to do the same duties as that of the full-time permanent teachers. But their salaries are much less than that of the full-time teachers. They should be paid at least the minimum basic pay of permanent teachers.”

Full-time teachers are paid approximately Rs 35,500 a month.

The lawyer had said his clients were entitled to get some other statutory benefits like that of full-time teachers — casual and medical leave and incentives and annual increments — which they do not get at present.

The lawyer appearing for the state had said that contractual teachers were fully aware of their job conditions when they were appointed to the posts. “So, they cannot claim the benefits, which are availed of by regular teachers.”

A court official said late on Thursday that it could not be said immediately if teachers on contract would get leave and other benefits since the copy of the order could not be accessed on the high court’s website till evening.

“But it is for certain that the petitioners will be paid the minimum basic pay of regular teachers,” the official said.

Stolen vehicle arrests

A 21-year-old man from Manipur and a 35-year-old Rajarhat resident were arrested for allegedly dealing in stolen vehicles on Thursday. A white Toyota Fortuner bearing registration plates from Assam, a Royal Enfield 350cc motorcycle without any licence plates and another two-wheeler were seized from them.

Truck hits car

A luxury taxi was hit by a dump truck of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation on Broadwayon Thursday afternoon.

No one was injured in the accident, police said. The front of the car, including the bonnet and the bumper, were damaged.