A total of 168 temporary appointed teachers of Jagannath University (JnU) are about to leave the campus as the Supreme Court Appeallate Division on Sunday rejected their prayer of being a permanent employee of the institute. With this decision, five and a half years long fight has finally got a solution. Court sources said the hearing of the teachers held in court number 1 at about 11 am on the day. Chief Justice Mozzamel Hossain led the hearing. Barrister Tanzimul Haque and Barrister Rokan Uddin Mahmud took part in the hearing on behalf of the university and Barrister Rafiqul Haque and Abdul Matin Khashru on behalf of the teachers. After hearing the court declared that the teachers appeal is rejected and as their contract period is already over they are bound to leave the campus.
About the decision, JnU Registrar Engineer Md Ohiduzzaman told ‘The Independent,’ “The court just rejected the temporary appointed teachers’ appeal on Sunday therefore the teachers do not have any option than just to leave the campus.”
It is learnt that the Jagannath College was turned to a university in October 20, 2005 under a special Act passed by National Parliament. At that time, 220 extinct college teachers got temporary appointed in JnU for five years that automatically expired on October 20, 2010.
Some of the teachers had been appealing to the court and Supreme Court since 2005 to make them regular. In 2005, 18 third-class holder teachers submitted first application to the court to make them permanent. The number of that case was 7941 and 8117.
In 2009, 106 and 43 teachers filed another two appeals demanding the same. The number of those cases was 1222 and 2252. In 2010, 27 teachers filed further appeals (number 1182).
When these appeals were rejected, 123 teachers appealed to high court in 2010 (numbers 2353, 1973, 1974, 2051 and 2104).
The temporary appointed teachers had challenged two sections of the university establishment act. As per the JnU Act 2005, section 56/2 (Cha) and 56/3, “All extinct college teachers and staff would not be the regular staff after their contract is over.”
In 2009, while the hearing was in high court, one bench made a rule against the government that why the JnU act 2005, section 56/2 (Cha) and 56/3 could not be declared invalid. The court issued order to the university authority and education ministry to give appropriate answer against the rule.
On August 11, 2010 after the hearing of that rule the court gave the decision, according to which, the court refused all cases of appeal that were applied by the temporary appointed teachers.
After the hearing, the teachers further filed five appeals to the Supreme Court appeal section against the court decision. The decision was pending more than a year, however, got a solution on Sunday.
JnU vice-chancellor Prof Dr Mesbahuddin Ahmed told ‘The Independent,’ “Temporary appointed teachers’ issue was a great problem for us but finally it has got a solution. We are happy that we would run the university more smoothly now.”
-With The Independent input
