Mumbai: Private school chairman, principal get 15-days jail for not reinstating teacher

Observing that a private school’s trust’s chairman and the school’s principal are educated and hold high posts, but appear to have no respect for the law, a magistrate court has sentenced them to 15-days of simple imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 20,000 each for not complying with a School Tribunal’s repeated directions to reinstate an assistant teacher.

The magistrate sentenced Shri Sairam Education Society’s Chairman Ramkrishna Shingre and headmaster Dhondu Patil under Maharashtra Employees of Private Schools (Conditions of Service) Regulation Act, 1977.

The teacher Meena Wangade was removed from her job on Dec 26, 2000 by an oral instruction. She had approached the School Tribunal against the act. The tribunal passed an order in 2001 setting aside her termination and directing her reinstatement. Wangade complained that the accused did not comply with the order even after she sent a letter to them through her advocate to comply with the order. In 2006, she again approached the Tribunal for an execution of its 2001 order. It passed an order directing that she be reinstated within 30 days. This too was not complied with. The teacher approached the court after she sent a letter to the accused and the Education Officer through her advocate.

After the court held them guilty, the duo had requested for leniency and assured that they would reinstate her. The magistrate said in the judgment that considering the nature of the offence, the status of the accused and their age, it is not a fit case to extend the benefit of Probation of Offenders Act. Under this Act, instead of a sentence, the accused are released on a bond of good behaviour if they are first-time offenders or are young in age when they commit an offence. The court said regarding the accused, that they deserve to be sentenced.