PANJIM: The Goa government can’t withhold the release of salaries for staff of aided minority institutions anymore after the recent order of the High Court of Bombay at Goa, otherwise it would be a direct case of contempt, counsel for Diocesan Society of Education, Adv Vinod Korgaonkar said
“The Director of Education, Shailesh Zingde, has withheld approvals and salary disbursements, citing ongoing management committee and internal society matters. However, the High Court has already ruled that the staff and teachers are unaffected by these internal issues and that their salaries must be released,” Korgaonkar said.
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According to him, the High Court clarified that the Diocesan Society, as a minority institution protected under Article 30, holds the authority for teacher appointments, rather than the annually rotating managing committees of schools.
“The High Court also noted that while a petition is pending before the Supreme Court, no stay order has been granted. Therefore, the withholding of salaries is in direct violation of the High Court’s order. It has issued a notice to show cause why contempt proceedings should not be initiated, providing a 10-day compliance period,” he said.
If the Department of Education fails to implement the order and disperse the salaries within this time frame, the Society will proceed with the contempt petition, the legal counsel said.
Concerning the withholding of salary and grants, Zingde said that that regular salaries and grants are being released.
“The current restriction applies solely to the approval of new appointments. Under Rule 76, the competent authority to sign appointment letters is the Chairman of the School Managing Committee, not the Secretary of the Society. The Directorate of Education is maintaining a uniform application of this rule across all institutions, regardless of minority status,” Zingde said.
He said that if the Chairman of the School Managing Committee signs the required documents, the approvals will be processed immediately. We are currently awaiting further legal counsel from our advocates given the pending Supreme Court proceedings.
Former president of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee, Amit Patkar, said there is a growing concern that these regulatory actions represent a deliberate effort to undermine minority educational institutions in the State.
“By creating barriers to education, this policy appears to systematically reduce the number of qualified graduates, thereby artificially masking the high unemployment rates in the region.This approach severely impacts the thousands of students currently being educated within this system. We view these actions as politically motivated and an attempt to dismantle the minority education framework in Goa,” Patkar said.
