Tripura HC serves notice to govt for not allowing sacked teachers to hold protest

The petitioners accused the Tripura government of preventing their constitutional right to hold peaceful demonstrations.

After a 52 days sit-in demonstration in the city, police in early morning action on Jan 27 last had evicted the protestors and seized a huge stock of food items and cash donated by people to the protestors.

Admitting the petition Justice Subhashis Talapatra directed the state government to reply on the issue before the next hearing fixed on March 1 next.

The Joint Movement Committee, apex platform of 10,323 sacked teachers, had applied to the state administration for permission to re-launch the democratic movement but it was rejected.

The counsel of the petitioners’ senior advocate P Roybarman argued that peaceful demonstration is a fundamental right of Indian citizens and no authority can prevent such a right. The future of the teachers who had lost jobs after serving long years was at stake and naturally, they will press the government for an alternative to survive.

"The sacked teachers were assured to offer alternative jobs on several occasions including Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and education minister Ratan Lal Nath. But the victim teachers have been running from pillar to posts for the past 10 months and in the meantime, about 85 teachers have died without proper treatment due to poverty," Roybarman stated.