Patiala, July 20
The Punjabi University Contract Teachers Association (PUCTA) has intensified its demand for the immediate implementation of the Punjab and Haryana High Court judgment in the Rajan Goyal vs UGC & Others case for all contract teachers of the university.
The association pointed out that Punjabi University has withdrawn its Letters Patent Appeal (LPA) before the Division Bench of the High Court, which had been filed to challenge the Single Bench’s judgment. With the withdrawal of the appeal, the Single Bench’s decision remains valid and enforceable. PUKTA has appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and Higher Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains to ensure that the High Court’s directions are implemented without delay.
PUKTA General Secretary Ramanpreet Singh said that Justice Sandeep Moudgil, in the Rajan Goyal vs UGC & Others case, had directed Punjabi University to pay contract teachers salaries and arrears in accordance with UGC Regulations 2010 and Clause 13 of the UGC Regulations 2018. The court had also ordered the university to comply with the judgment within two months.
However, instead of implementing the judgment, the university challenged the order before the Division Bench through an LPA. The appeal has now been withdrawn, effectively upholding the Single Bench’s ruling.
The association further noted that Punjabi University has already adopted both the UGC Regulations 2010 and UGC Regulations 2018. Under these regulations, regular, ad hoc, and guest faculty members receive salaries and service benefits. However, according to PUKTA, contract teachers have consistently been denied salaries and benefits under the same UGC norms.
Ramanpreet Singh also revealed that before the LPA hearing, PUKTA representatives had met with the university administration. During the meeting, Vice-Chancellor Dr. Jagdeep Singh had assured them that whatever final decision emerged in the Rajan Goyal case would be implemented uniformly for all similarly placed contract teachers.
Now that the university has withdrawn its appeal, PUKTA has urged the Vice-Chancellor to honour that commitment by immediately extending the High Court judgment to all contract teachers.
PUKTA President Dr. Taranjit Kaur said the university administration should not delay the matter any further and must issue the necessary administrative orders to implement the High Court’s decision.
She added that compliance with the judgment is not only a legal obligation but also a matter of ensuring justice and fair treatment for contract teachers.
