The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the Bengal government to address a long-standing pay parity dispute involving part-time higher secondary school teachers.

The state government now has four months to issue a “detailed reasoned order” regarding the teachers’ claims for the period between July 28, 2010, and December 24, 2013.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued the directive while resolving the contempt petition submitted by the affected teachers, Gurupada Bera and others, who claimed intentional disregard for the previous orders issued by the Supreme Court on July 16, 2024, regarding the consideration of their complaints.

July 16, 2024, order directed: “Having regard to the fact that the impugned judgment was passed on September 3, 2020 and the same has remained stayed in terms of the order passed by this Court on 20th September, 2021 in SLP (Civil) No. 14355/2021 and on 29th October, 2021 in SLP (Civil) No. 2809/2021, it is deemed appropriate to direct the State Government of West Bengal to make compliances of the impugned judgment within a period of three months from today. The relief granted in the said judgment shall also be extended to all similarly placed private respondents, including the intervenors/impleaders who have moved applications in the present petitions.”

The petitioners allege that, despite specific directions issued by the apex court, the relief granted by the high court and subsequently affirmed by the apex court has not been extended to them.

It was submitted that, according to the order issued by the high court, the state government was required to pay a salary that corresponds to the basic pay in the scale designated for a regular teacher employed in the higher secondary section, for the duration starting from July 28, 2010, until December 24, 2013, within a timeframe of four weeks.

Another instruction was provided, necessitating that part-time contractual teachers submit their representations to the secretary of the school education department to substantiate their claims, if any, for basic pay for from April 2007 to December 2009 and for the period after December 24, 2013.

The bench, after hearing arguments on behalf of the state and the petitioner, passed the order.