'Disturbing That Contractual Asst Professors Get Only Rs 30K' : Supreme Court Asks Gujarat Govt To Rationalise Pay Structure

The Supreme Court expressed dismay at the low salaries being given to the Assistant Professors who are appointed on contractual basis in various Government Colleges in the State of Gujarat.The Court stated that it was hightime for the State to rationalise the pay structure of Assistant Professors on the basis of functions that they perform.It noted that while Assitant Professors appointed on contractual basis are currently drawing a monthly salary of Rs.30,000/-, ad-hoc Assistant Professors are drawing approximately Rs.1,16,000/- per month and regular appointees about Rs.1,36,952/-, though all of them are performing identical functions."It is disturbing that Assistant Professors are getting monthly emoluments of Rs. 30,000/- It is high time that the State takes up the issue and rationalize the pay structure on the basis of functions that they perform," observed the bench comprising Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Joymalya Bagchi."We have a serious concern about the way we treat our teachers," the Court lamented.Comparative chart included in the judgment The Court said that it's not enough to keep reciting "gurubramha gururvishnu gurdevo maheshwarah(the Guru is the Supreme Reality (Brahman); I bow to that Guru) at public functions, because if we truly believe in it, it must be reflected in the way the nation treats its teachers.The Court went to the extent of saying that lecturers are the backbone of this country and they need to be treated with dignity in terms of the constitutional principle of equal pay for equal work."Academicians, lecturers and professors are the intellectual backbone of any nation, as they dedicate their lives to shaping the minds and character of future generations. Their work goes far beyond delivering lessons—it involves mentoring, guiding research, nurturing critical thinking, and instilling values that contribute to the progress of society. However, in many contexts, the compensation and recognition extended to them do not truly reflect the significance of their contribution. When educators are not treated with dignity or offered respectable emoluments, it diminishes the value a country places on knowledge and undermines the motivation of those entrusted with building its intellectual capital. By ensuring fair remuneration and dignified treatment, we affirm the importance of their role and reinforce the nation's commitment to quality education, innovation, and a brighter future for its youth."Court criticises state for making ad-hoc appointments despite vacancies in sanctioned postsAt the outset, the Supreme Court expressed its dismay at the way the contractually appointed have been treated and how State continues to appoint them on an ad hoc and contractual basis despite the sanctioned post remaining vacant."More than the justifiable claim for parity, it is rather disturbing to see how lecturers, holding the post of Assistant Professors, continue to be paid and subsist on such low salaries for almost two decades. We are informed that, of the 2720 sanctioned posts, only 923 posts were filled by regularly appointed staff. To address this shortage and to ensure continuity of academic activities, the State Government has resorted to ad hoc and contractual appointments. While 158 posts were filled by ad hoc appointments, 902 posts were filled on a contractual basis. This measure left 737 posts vacant, and this number in fact increased with the sanctioning of 525 new posts of Assistant Professors and 347 posts of Lecturers.With large number of sanctioned posts remaining vacant, the State Government continues to make appointments on an ad hoc and contractual basis."The Court was dealing with a situation where contractually appointed Assistant Professors, performing the same functions and duties as those of Assistant Professors regularly appointed, were only getting Rs. 30,000 as compared to Rs. 40,412 granted to the latter in 2012. They had sought parity of pay.The Court, while allowing the petitioners the minimum pay in the payscale of Asst Professors, remarked that the facts are "egregious" as these contractually based employees have been working at "abysmally low" monthly emoluments for the last two decades. This despite the fact that even those appointed on an ad hoc basis were regularised to similarly placed teachers and were earning more.The Court was hearing two sets of appeals. One was filed by the State of Gujarat against the Gujarat High Court's division bench order affirming the single judge's order that contractually appointed Assistant Professors are entitled to the minimum pay scale of regularly appointed Assistant Professors (Acharya Madhavi Bhavin & Ors v. State of Gujarat) and that ad hoc appointees made should get parity with similarly placed appointed prior to May 8, 2008 (State of Gujarat v. Gohel Vishal Chhaganbhai & Ors).The division bench upheld with a modification that they will be entitled to arrears at the rate of 8% from 3 years preceding the filing of their ...

'Disturbing That Contractual Asst Professors Get Only Rs 30K' : Supreme Court Asks Gujarat Govt To Rationalise Pay Structure

Gursimran Kaur Bakshi

The Court criticised the State for making ad-hoc appointments even when sanctioned posts remained vacant.

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