Meerut: The basic shiksha department in UP’s Bulandshahr district has withheld salaries of 35 assistant teachers, shikshamitras and instructors for the days they allegedly remained absent from their assigned booth-level officer (BLO) duties during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, officials said on Monday.
“Shikshamitras and instructors earn around Rs 18,000-20,000 a month. In Surya Pratap Singh vs State of UP (2025), Allahabad high court ruled that teachers should be appointed as BLOs only after other eligible categories of govt and semi-govt employees listed in Election Commission’s guidelines have been considered.
Withholding their payment for the days they are alleged to have been absent from their assigned duties is unfair, particularly when they are being asked to shoulder responsibilities beyond their regular teaching work,” a teacher said on the condition of anonymity. The court said “teachers should perform election-related duties on holidays and after teaching hours to avoid disruption to academic work”. The action has brought the deployment of teachers for election-related work into focus, amid concerns over its impact on classroom teaching in govt schools across the state, many of which are already grappling with staff shortages.
The deployment of teachers for election-related duties has previously come under judicial scrutiny.
Earlier, in Election Commission of India vs St Mary’s School and Others (2007), Supreme Court held that teachers “should not ordinarily be deployed on teaching days or during school hours”, emphasising the need to balance electoral responsibilities with children’s right to education.
The administration says the remaining teachers will manage the extra workload, but this inevitably raises concerns about the impact on classroom teaching and students’ learning.” The teacher added, “Govt schools are already struggling with staff shortages. When most of the staff is engaged in surveys and other election-related duties, who will take the classes?