Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh High Court has put a temporary halt on the state government’s order that sought to withdraw pay increment and pension benefits granted to contractual Junior Basic Training (JBT) teachers.
The decision was made by a bench comprising Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Sushil Kukreja, who have now asked the state government to file a response within three weeks.
Government’s March order faces legal block
On March 20, 2025, the state government had issued a directive to roll back financial benefits such as pay increments and pension calculations that were being extended to teachers based on their contractual service period. However, this order has now been stayed by the high court, offering interim relief to affected teachers.
The Education Department had earlier begun recovery proceedings against JBT teachers who had already received these benefits. With the high court’s intervention, these recovery actions have now been put on hold.
Historical background of the dispute
The petitioners in the case were originally appointed as JBT teachers on a contractual basis in 1997. Their services were regularised in 2006.
However, the state government did not count their years of contractual service towards pay increments or pension eligibility, prompting the teachers to file petitions in court.
The matter gained momentum after the Jagdish Chand case, in which the high court ruled that contractual service should indeed be considered for the purposes of salary hikes and pension benefits.
Following that judgment, the education department had extended such financial benefits to JBT teachers, only for the government to later attempt to revoke them.
Major relief for JBT teachers
The high court’s stay on the recovery and rollback order comes as a significant relief to hundreds of JBT teachers across the state. On Wednesday alone, nearly 150 related cases concerning JBT and TGT teachers were filed in the high court.
For now, the ball is in the state government’s court, which has three weeks to present its justification. Until then, the benefits previously granted to the teachers remain intact.
Sunil Chadha
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