The Bombay High Court on Friday scrapped a 2017 Government Resolution (GR) which compels teachers and the non-teaching staff working in government-run schools to open their bank account with Mumbai and other District Cooperative Banks.
Petitions were filed challenging the June 2017 GR which was issued by the Education Ministry was heard by the division bench of Justice Bhushan Gavai and Justice B P Colabawala.
Prior to this GR, the teachers and non-teaching staff had all rights to open their accounts with any nationalised banks. But in June last year, the government through this GR asked its staff to open their accounts with Mumbai bank to draw their salaries.
The petition highlighted a point that in 2013, the current Education Minister Vinod Tawde had accused the district cooperative banks of indulging in malpractices and illegal activities. But after coming into power, Tawde started supporting these same banks.
We fail to understand as to why the education minister is now supporting these banks, given the fact that when he was not a minister, he had accused the banks of indulging in malpractices. The minister had even gone to the Governor seeking action against these district banks. We do not find any rationale and application of mind in issuing the impugned GR in June 2017. Thus, we quash and set aside the said GR and make it clear that the government will have to follow the earlier mechanism,” Justice Bhushan Gavai said.
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