State Government Defends Appointment of Private School Teachers for Census Duty in High Court

The Maharashtra government on Monday told the Bombay High Court that it has the authority to appoint teachers from unaided and minority schools for census-related work. The government argued that orders in this regard have already been issued at the municipal level and there is nothing improper in doing so.

A private schools’ association has approached the High Court against the appointment of teachers for census work and the registration of criminal cases against those refusing to perform the duty. Around 500 unaided and minority schools are associated with the organisation.

The petition came up for hearing before the vacation bench of Justice Gautam Ankhad and Justice Sandeep Patil on Monday. During the hearing, the state government reiterated its stand supporting the appointments.

According to the government, a special officer has been appointed at the municipal level to oversee census operations. Through this officer, teachers from private schools have been directed to carry out census duties in accordance with state government instructions. Government lawyers argued that these orders cannot be termed illegal or improper.

On the other hand, the petitioners informed the court that criminal cases are being registered against private school teachers who refuse to participate in census work. In response, the government claimed that action is being taken only against teachers who repeatedly avoid census duties despite receiving repeated orders.

After taking note of the submissions, the court adjourned the hearing to Tuesday (May 19) and directed the state government, municipal authorities, and petitioners to restrict their arguments to limited issues.

The petitioners argued that assigning teachers duties other than teaching would affect their daily academic responsibilities and impact the quality of education provided to students. They stated that their schools do not receive any financial aid from the government and are managed entirely through fees collected from students.

In such circumstances, the petitioners contended that the government cannot compel their teachers to perform census-related work. They also pointed out that the High Court had previously passed interim orders stating that private school teachers should not be assigned census duties. Based on those earlier directions, the petitioners have sought similar interim relief in the present case.