MUMBAI, December 4: Responding to Chief Minister Manohar Joshi's recent announcement that all courts, except Bombay High Court, will have Marathi as the official language, the School Tribunal for Navi Mumbai recently delivered the first judgement in Marathi in the state.

Presiding officer A G Deo delivered the landmark judgement in the tribunal situated at CBD, Sector 1, Navi Mumbai, on November 27, 1997. The verdict came in favour of an appeal filed by a school teacher N A Sheikh. The entire judgement is handwritten in Marathi and runs into six pages.

Sheikh was employed as an assistant teacher with the school run by Shiregaon Education Society. Considering Sheikh's performance, the school management appointed him as acting headmaster on April 26, 1993, and he worked in this capacity till June 12, 1995. However, his appointment was on a temporary basis, and the management paid him the salary for an assistant teacher, not for his actual post as acting headmaster.

Sheikh challenged the school management's decision in Thane school tribunal, which ruled against him on October 16, 1995. Subsequently, he moved High Court, which referred the matter back to Deo.

In his judgement, Justice Deo ruled: ``The society has accepted that Sheikh was not paid the salary for the post of headmaster, though he was holding additional charge for the same post. The school management is directed to pay Sheikh the salary for the post of headmaster from April 26, 1993 to June 12, 1995. In addition, Sheikh will be paid for the post of assistant teacher from August 3, 1995 to this date.

His appointment should also be made permanent. The management will also pay interest at the rate of three per cent on the arrears, and Rs 300 towards expenditure incurred by Sheikh in court.''

The tribunal is now waiting for proper infrastructure, like a Marathi stenographer and a typist, so that work can be properly carried out in Marathi.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.