Private college teachers sue Kerala govt for denial of ₹1,500 crore pay arrears

Kochi: The Kerala Private College Teachers' Association (KPCTA) has moved the High Court seeking a directive to the state government to release the pending 7th Pay Revision arrears -- around ₹1,500 crore -- meant for about 10,000 teachers in state universities and government-owned, affiliated, and aided colleges.

The plea comes after a series of conflicting statements from the government. During the Nava Kerala Sadas outreach in November and December 2023, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan publicly claimed that the arrears had already been paid. However, Onmanorama debunked this in a detailed report. Later, the government admitted in the Assembly that the arrears had not been disbursed.

Teachers took legal action after Higher Education Minister R Bindu said in the Assembly that the state would not release even its ₹750 crore share unless the Union Government released its half — despite the Centre having made it clear that the deadline for claiming the 'central assistance' had already lapsed. The case is now before the single bench of Justice N Nagaresh.

In November 2017, the Union Ministry of Education wrote to the University Grants Commission (UGC) that it would retrospectively implement the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) from January 1, 2016.

The same letter stated that the Centre would provide 50 per cent financial assistance to state governments for implementing the pay revision in their universities and colleges for 39 months — from January 1, 2016, to March 31, 2019. "But the Union government had made it clear that it was a reimbursement scheme — the state government had to disburse the total arrears first and then claim 50 per cent of the additional expenditure," said KPCTA president Dr Premachandran Keezhoth.

However, the state government repeatedly submitted proposals to the Union government seeking 50 per cent assistance without disbursing the total arrears of ₹1,501.60 crore. "The Centre rejected the incomplete proposals. And despite repeated reminders, the state did not correct its mistake. In hindsight, we believe it was a deliberate ploy to deny us our due,” said Dr Keezhoth, who teaches English at Payyanur College.

The Union Government had initially set March 31, 2019, as the deadline to disburse the full arrears and submit proposals for reimbursement. After granting multiple extensions, it finally closed the scheme on April 1, 2023. 

Two other petitioners — Rony George of K E College, Mannanam, and Jobin Jose of Deva Matha College, Kuravilangad — said the state used convoluted phrasing to claim central assistance without actually releasing the money. In an undertaking to the Union government dated March 7, 2022, then Additional Chief Secretary Venu V wrote that ₹1,501.60 crore "has been decided to be released" to teachers — in response to a pointed query from the Centre on whether the state had already disbursed the arrears, said Rony George, who teaches English at K E College.

The Chief Minister's claim in November 2023 that the arrears had been disbursed contradicted the government order issued on January 21, 2023, withholding payment. The order stated: "The present financial position of the state is also not conducive to disbursing pay revision arrears. The instalments due from January 2023 onwards are withheld till the position of State finances improves."

KPCTA, affiliated with the Congress-led UDF, said it approached the court also because Finance Minister K N Balagopal declared in his budget speech that Kerala’s financial crisis was over. Presenting the budget on February 7, Balagopal told the Assembly: "I wish to start the budget speech for the year 2025-26 on a happy note which is sure to ease the minds of every Keralite. I happily announce that we have definitely overcome the trying times of severe fiscal constraints that have affected the State in recent years."
"If the crisis has passed, there's no excuse to deny us our due of ₹1,500 crore," said Keezhoth.