Delhi High Court Urges Election Commission to Consider Teachers Stress Amid SIR Duties

New Delhi, July 28: The Delhi High Court has advised the Election Commission to be more sensitive towards the challenges faced by school teachers assigned to Special Intensive Revision (SIR) duties. This recommendation came during a hearing of a petition challenging the deployment of teachers for election duties. The court emphasized that the additional burden on teachers must not be overlooked when determining election-related responsibilities.

During the proceedings, the High Court noted that teachers already spend 6 to 8 hours teaching in schools. Assigning them election duties on top of their regular responsibilities naturally leads to increased mental and physical stress. The court expects the Election Commission and its officials to understand this situation and make informed decisions accordingly.

The court directed the Election Commission to pay special attention to this aspect when assigning election-related tasks. It also stressed that the burden of election duties should not become unbearable for teachers.

Furthermore, the Delhi High Court highlighted that many female teachers work in primary and junior schools, who also have family and other responsibilities. Expecting any teacher to work continuously for 11 hours is deemed unreasonable. The court inquired about the steps the Election Commission is taking to address this issue.

The court expressed dissatisfaction with the language used in the Election Commission’s orders, stating that the wording appeared threatening.

The lawyer representing the petitioner informed the court that teachers are struggling to fulfill their regular educational duties. He pointed out that while the Election Commission has issued a circular, school principals are still instructing teachers to come to school for regular classes. This has created confusion for the teachers.

The petitioner’s lawyer also suggested that information could be requested from the Delhi government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi regarding how many teachers have been assigned election duties during teaching hours. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for August 20.

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