New Delhi: Asking Election Commission of India to be “a bit sensitive” to the schoolteachers’ situation, Delhi High Court Tuesday said they should not be left to face “an unbearable burden” due to being requisitioned for the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.“What we want from you is to be a bit sensitive to their situation. The condition they are undergoing. Asking teachers to work for 11 hours, you have to humanise their condition… Teaching staff, mostly, it is women. They have children, their families,” a bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia told the counsel for EC while hearing a PIL filed by advocates Rajesh Kumar Gogna and Ashok Agarwal over education of lakhs of children studying in govt, municipal and govt-aided schools being affected due to the move.The court added it wasn’t “curtailing your right” and noted that SIR was undoubtedly “important”, but pointed to the mandate of Right to Education Act linked to students’ rights. It expressed displeasure at the “threatening” tenor of an EC order to principals not to obstruct election-related work. “The issue is how to strike a balance with Section 27 of Right to Education Act. It appears that you are least bothered about Right to Education Act…The kind of language that you have used in this.”The bench also directed the authorities not to cause undue stress to the teachers after working for long hours in school.The counsel for EC assured that govt teachers were not being overburdened and that there were volunteers to assist them and also provide refreshments. Informing that the SIR process was scheduled only till Aug 8, he added that teaching in “regular” subjects was also unaffected as the teachers had been asked to work on non-school days/hours, as mandated by Supreme Court.HC listed the matter for the next hearing on Aug 20, but made it clear, “It is expected from ECI and its officers… shall take all appropriate steps so that the election-related work does not cause so much stress on the teachers which may lead to an unbearable burden.”
