A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi described academicians, lecturers, and professors as the “intellectual backbone” of any nation for dedicating their lives to “shaping the minds and character of future generations.”
While applying the principles of equal pay for equal work, the bench directed that some contractually appointed assistant professors in Gujarat would be entitled to the minimum pay scale admissible to assistant professors.
The verdict came on appeals filed against two judgments of the Gujarat High Court regarding claims for parity in pay with assistant professors performing identical duties and functions.
The top court noted that in many contexts, the compensation and recognition extended to educators do not truly reflect the significance of their contribution.
“When educators are not treated with dignity or offered respectable emoluments, it diminishes the value a country places on knowledge and undermines the motivation of those entrusted with building its intellectual capital,” the bench said.
It added: “By ensuring fair remuneration and dignified treatment, we affirm the importance of their role and reinforce the nation’s commitment to quality education, innovation, and a brighter future for its youth.”
The court stressed that it was not enough to merely recite the Sanskrit mantra “gurubrahma gururvishnu gururdevo maheshwarah” at public functions.
“If we believe in this declaration, it must be reflected in the way the nation treats its teachers,” the bench said, expressing “serious concern” about how teachers were being treated.
The court observed that beyond the justifiable claim for parity, it was disturbing to see lecturers, holding the post of assistant professors, continuing to subsist on low salaries for nearly two decades.
“We are informed that, of the 2,720 sanctioned posts, only 923 posts were filled by regularly appointed staff. To address this shortage and to ensure continuity of academic activities, the state government has resorted to ad hoc and contractual appointments,” the bench noted.
It further pointed out that assistant professors were being paid monthly emoluments of only ₹30,000.
“It is high time that the State takes up the issue and rationalises the pay structure on the basis of functions that they perform,” the bench added.
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