HC spikes HRA cut rider for teachers

TT, Calcutta: Calcutta High Court on Thursday set aside a 2012 Bengal government order slashing the house rent allowances of teachers of state-aided schools whose spouses are employees of private companies.

"The decision of the government can be implemented in case of state government employees. Since the school teachers are not directly employees of the state government, the decision cannot be implemented in their cases," Justice Arindam Sinha held.

The order came on a petition filed by a teacher of a school in Hooghly whose husband is an employee of a private company.

"The state government notification said such teachers would get 50 per cent of the total HRA per month. My client's husband is an employee of a private firm. The education department has stopped paying her full house rent. Teachers of state-aided schools do not hold the status of state employees. The government memo should not be given effect to," said Ekramul Bari, the lawyer for teacher Sumita Das.

The Supreme Court has observed that employees of state-aided institutions cannot be considered government staff, the lawyer said during the hearing.