Tripura: Budget Session Begins with Ruckus over 10,323 Ad Hoc Teachers Termination Issue

Agartala, March 20, 2020:

The Tripura Assembly witnessed a ruckus on the very first day of the budget session following the issue of termination of the 10,323 teachers ordered by the Supreme Court.

Legislatures of the Opposition bench reached the well of the house seeking clarification from the treasury bench regarding the issue of the 10,323 teachers, whose term ends on March 31.

The Education Minister had earlier clarified that the government would move the Supreme Court seeking permission to re-appoint the teachers in other posts available in several other departments as per the qualification of the ad hoc teachers.

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In no time, the MLAs of the Treasury bench came out of their respective seats and stormed towards the four-time former Tripura Chief Minister and current Opposition leader Manik Sarkar. Trouble ensued as soon as the adjournment notice moved by Chief Whip of the Opposition bench Tapan Chakraborty was rejected by the Speaker.

As soon as the Finance Minister completed his budget speech, Chakraborty raised his voiced and asked for a justification of the rejection. " I have received a reply from your office Sir, that my adjournment notice on the fate of 10,323 ad hoc teachers has been rejected but the rule it quotes to justify the rejection is simply baseless", Chakraborty claimed.

Though speaker Rebati Mohan Das assured him of giving enough time in the question session, Chakraborty refuted retreat claiming that the question-answer session is not enough for raising the issues. Gradually, the heated exchange of words took an uproarious turn with the opposition MLAs descending to the well of the house.

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The situation turned worse when the MLAs from the ruling party also came out of their seats accusing former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar of the consequences of the 10,323 teachers. The Speaker finally adjourned the house 10 minute before the scheduled lunch break—1:00 pm which later resumed with question-answer session from 2 pm.

On October 3, 2019, the High Court of Tripura dismissed a batch of writ petitions filed by a section of 10,323 teachers. A Division Bench comprising the then Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Arindam Lodh, before which the arguments were submitted, said there was no substance in the petition and it was not inclined to grant the prayer.

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