The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to frame a procedure to periodically assess the capability of teachers who continue to receive incentive salary increments. The court said the review should examine whether the additional knowledge and skills gained by such teachers are being effectively used in teaching for the benefit of students.
The direction came while hearing a petition filed by Ravichandran, a secondary grade teacher at a panchayat union middle school near Kottampatti in Madurai district. He said he joined service in 1999, later acquired M.A. and B.Ed. qualifications, and was granted incentive increments from 2013, but audit objections later termed the grant incorrect.
Following the audit, his pay was revised and the Kottampatti Block Education Officer ordered recovery of the additional amount already paid. The petitioner sought to quash the recovery order, arguing that existing government orders permitted incentive increments for secondary grade teachers who obtained higher qualifications in higher secondary curriculum subjects.
The government contended that the incentive increment granted for the degree was contrary to prevailing government orders and that the error was detected only during audit, leading to pay correction and recovery. Justice B. Pugalendhi held that the petitioner, being a secondary grade teacher, could not claim incentive increments solely on the ground that economics was a subject in the higher secondary curriculum.
The judge noted that the government had taken a policy decision in 2020 to cancel the scheme of advance increments and incentive increments for higher educational qualifications, yet many teachers continue to receive benefits under the earlier policy. Observing that incentive payments are funded by taxpayers, the court said the government should decide—based on an evaluation—whether the benefit should continue for teachers currently drawing such increments.
