AGARTALA /UDAIPUR, May 27 (TIWN) : The fate of the 10323 teachers whose jobs have been terminated by the High Court verdict of Chief Justice Dipak Kumar Gupta and Justice S C Das of High Court, is now left in gloomy future as the four members representatives comprising Advocate General Bijan Das, Law Secretary Data Mohan Jamatia Principal Secretary of School Education Department K.Rajeswar Rao and Director Pradip Kr Chakraborty returned to the state empty handed without filing any Special Leave Petition(Special Leave Petition) in the Supreme Court of India challenging the HC's order.

The team left for Delhi on 21st May with a motive to file SLP(Special Leave Petition) but the returning home of the four high profile delegates(officials) without doing anything has once again raised the question," Is the State Govt sure of the repeat of HC's verdict in the SC?"

   It is learnt that from a top level official in the School Education Department that the lawyers of SC told the four delegates that there is no merit on which the State Govt can challenge the HC's verdict. This is, indeed, a great setback for the Left Front Govt, the official added. And this has surely increased pressure on the state govt from all corners though the CPI(M) party is trying to hold control over the prevailing situation through its organizational machinery. Already the party's state leadership instructed the Divisional and Local committees to campaign that the state govt will attach them in other departments even if the SC retains the HC's verdict.

  The employees' organizations of CPI(M) , especially Tripura Govt Teachers' Association (H B Road) is collecting money from those teachers already terminated from their job with the 'false promise ' that State Govt needs in beginning at least 50 lakhs to 1 crore in legal fees and expenses to defend the case in the SC. Interestingly speaking to the media persons in the State Secretariat on Saturday School Education Minister categorically said, " The Govt will defend the case on its own burden. No instruction has been given to any organ to collect money from the terminated teachers." But two of the terminated teachers( Science Graduate) told TIWN correspondent that the TGTA has set a slab to all PGT,GT and UGT teachers under which PGT teachers have benn asked to give Rs-1500/- while the GT and UGT Rs-1000/- and Rs-500/- each respectively. More importantly other employees under the banner of Tripura Govt Employees' Association(TGEA) H B Road of the state govt too have been asked to pay a minimum amount of Rs 150/- to upto a maximum of Rs-1000/- each ( for the interests of the terminated teachers as said by the H B Road leaders). One of the TGTA members told to TIWN on Tuesday that everything is a farce. Taking the advantage of the helpless situation of the terminated teachers TGTA is acually using it as a great opportunity to increase the party fund ,alleged the H B Road member. He said, " We are now compelled to pay the amount even by the end of June without any protest. Uttering a word against this illegal and inhuman torture would mean inviting a transfer to the remote areas."

   Some of the terminated teachers( unwilling to reveal their names) told our TIWN correspondent, " The state govt has been doing a mockery over the HC's judgement by putting the blame on the opposition Congress but after the Youth Congress' statewise campaign through posters and play cards this tactics has returned back as boomerang. And now under the banner of TGTA and TGEA CPI(M) party is playing a 'Bhool Bhulaiya' with us." They said that state govt too knows that it has already lost the battle.

  History too does not suport CPI(M). In 2003 the CPI(M) led Left Front Govt in West Bengal lost similar case -first in the HC and then in SC too. In that year Budhdhadeb Bhattachaya led CPI(M) govt recruitted 2200 Primary teachers. The then undivided Midnapore District Primary School Council sent a list of 2200 candidates for the consideration and approval of West Bengal School Education Dept. In the same year(2003) the state govt appointed these 2200 candidates as Primary teachers. Being deprived one Susmita Bhowmik and other 81 applicants filed a Writ Petition to the Calcutta High Court challenging the validity of the said recruitment. Prosecution Lawyer Siraj Gupta told the Hon'ble Justice Dilip Basu of Calcutta H C how the Left govt recruitted those, who were selected by means of their political loyalty to CPI(M) denying the Constitution of India.  Even no written examination was conducted for this purpose. As a result those, who were competent and meritorious, were deprived.

   Hearing the argument of the Prosecution Lawyer Justice Dilip Basu constituted a Special Officer to investigate the said matter and to send report. The Special Officer submitted his report to the HC categorically pointing, "The State Govt has not followed any recruitment rules. Only the will of the Govt is revealed through these appointments." Examining the report Justice Dilip Basu terminated the jobs of those 2200 primary teachers. The then CPI(M) led West Bengal govt appealed to Justice M P Singh's led Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court. But the Division Bench upheld the order of Jastice Dikip Basu.

   After this under the instruction of the then West Bengal Chief Minister Budhdhadeb Bhattacharya state govt went to the Supreme Court of India . Justice Harish Tendon of the Supreme Court too upheld the order of the Division Bench of Calcutta High Court . And those 2200 Primary Teachers have been terminated from their jobs for ever. Losing the battle Budhdhadeb Bhattachrya's govt assured those 2200 terminated teachers that state govt will attach them in other departments of State Govt.

   But in the year West Bengal witnessed a 'Historic Landslides victory' of the Trinamool Congress with a clear mandate removing the CPI(M) led Left Govt after 34 years. And in the following year (2012) Justice Harish Tendon gave his final verdict of termination. And in view of this case of the 10323 teachers, whose jobs have been terminated by the High Court Justices Hon. Chief Justice Dipak Kumar Gupta and Justice Swapan Ch Das of  High Court,  A CPI(M) State Committee member( with a condition to keep his name a secret) probably said the truth -  He told to TIWN, " The battle is over. Party too knows it ;still it sent the high profile officials to Delhi simply to befool the teachers and their families as the party knows very clearly that the recent order of the HC will make a great impact on the upcoming three-tier Panchayat polls- the traditional strong hold of CPI(M). The govt knew that the Summar Vacation of the Supreme Court will begin towards the end of May. And the officials were instructed to go to Delhi as a tactic of 'Campaign propaganda' only. " The state committee member further did not conceal his anxiety over the unruly situation that may hit the state at any time regarding the state govt's 'Hide and Seek' policy."