Madhya Pradesh High Court orders service benefits for 70,000 teachers

The Jabalpur High Court has directed the Madhya Pradesh government to comply with a previous order regarding service benefits for approximately 70,000 teachers within four weeks. The group includes 35,000 primary, 20,000 secondary, and 15,000 higher secondary teachers.

The dispute concerns whether service periods prior to merger should be counted from the date of initial appointment. This calculation affects seniority, salary fixation, annual increments, and pension benefits. The legal process began with a petition from 497 teachers, and while the state government challenged the High Court's initial ruling in the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court dismissed the government's Special Leave Petition (SLP) on August 24, 2026.

Following the dismissal, teachers filed a contempt petition in the High Court. During the hearing before Justice Deepak Khot, the state government requested time to implement the order, to which the court granted a four-week extension. The next hearing is scheduled for the week beginning October 21. Teacher organizations claim that the adjustment could increase monthly salaries by 15,000 to 20,000 rupees for some individuals and may include arrears related to the sixth pay commission, though final amounts will depend on individual service records.