Court Order Brings Cheer to Environmentalists, Man Asked to Plant 5000 Saplings as Punishment

On the 4th of this month, the Punjab and Haryana High Court meted out a fairly unusual punishment to Mr R S Kharab.

R S Kharab, who is Haryana’s Director of Elementary Education had previously been ordered by the Court to promote several arts and crafts teachers to the position of headmaster. The directive by the Court was issued following the announcement of the New Service Rules in 2012.

Since Kharab failed to comply, several teachers from Jind – led by Sandeep Singh – got together to file a contempt petition.

On Wednesday, Justice Rajesh Bindal dismissed the petition but ordered Kharab to plant 5,000 trees.

Image for representation only. Source: Flickr

Terming it a ‘corrective measure,’ Additional Advocate General of Haryana, Gagandeep Wasu told The Times of India that the order was passed with the aim of making Kharab realise his mistake, while also reassuring him that he was not found guilty of contempt.

Kharab has been asked to plant 5,000 saplings in middle-level schools of the state before the monsoons begin. He will also be required to submit a compliance report.

With the announcement of the New Service Rules in 2012, the petitioners, who were previously working as arts and crafts teachers were re-designated as Trained Graduate Teachers (TGTs). 85% of the posts for elementary school headmasters have been kept reserved for TGTs.

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