Census Duty: Teachers Form Legal Groups After School Management Fails To Support The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court recently granted interim relief from Census duty to the CBSE School Staff Welfare Association (CSSWA), sparking a wave of similar actions among private school teachers across the region. This development has led many educators, who were left without institutional support, to form informal groups and pool resources to hire legal representation. The move comes after the Sikh Education Society (SES) previously secured interim relief for its pharmacy college staff, highlighting a growing trend of teachers seeking judicial intervention to avoid mandatory Census duties. Teachers reported being left in a precarious situation as school management failed to advocate for their interests. "While the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is threatening us with FIRs for not reporting to Census duty, school owners are doing nothing to defend us," one teacher told The Times of India. Initially, many educators expected their school administrations to take similar steps after the SES case, but over a month of appeals to local authorities yielded no results. "Management of different schools did nothing beyond approaching local authorities with appeals," another teacher noted. Frustrated by the lack of support, teachers have now turned to legal avenues, with some stating, "We realised that interim relief is only for the petitioners. So, we too have decided to move the court." The stress on teachers has been immense, with many reporting a two-month ordeal since receiving Census duty letters. "We are running from pillar to post, asking why teachers from government and aided schools are not assigned Census duty first," a teacher explained.#times_of_india #bombay_high_court #nagpur_municipal_corporation #sikh_education_society #cbse_school_staff_welfare_association
