Kerala grants temporary pay relief to 20,000 teachers after SC K-TET ruling
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The Kerala government has decided to grant temporary pay-scale approval to nearly 20,000 teachers affected by a recent Supreme Court verdict mandating K-TET qualification, Minister V Sivankutty said on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference, Sivankutty said that under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, passing the Kerala Teacher Eligibility Test (K-TET) is mandatory for teachers.
However, the state had earlier exempted those appointed before 2012, citing concerns that sudden enforcement would adversely affect them.
On September 1, 2025, the Supreme Court of India struck down the exemption and directed that teachers without K-TET qualification be removed from service, he said.
The state general education minister said the verdict impacted nearly 20,000 teachers and their families. “While implementing the court order, the government has found a way to protect teachers,” he added.
As per the apex court’s ruling, teachers have been given two years to clear the K-TET examination. Sivankutty said requiring them to work without pay during this period would be unjust.
Accordingly, the government has decided to grant temporary pay-scale approval to teachers appointed before September 1, 2025, on the condition that they clear K-TET within two years.
The benefit will also extend to those holding equivalent qualifications such as NET, SET, M Phil and Ph D, he said.
A decision on promotions for such teachers will be taken after seeking legal advice from the Advocate General, he added.
In a related development, the minister said the government has decided to revisit staff fixation in schools where discrepancies in Aadhaar-linked student data had led to the loss of teaching posts.
He said Aadhaar had been made mandatory to ensure accurate student enrolment data. However, minor errors in Aadhaar details or delays in issuance had resulted in some students not being counted, leading to a reduction in posts and job losses for teachers.
“Not a single teacher should lose their job due to lack of Aadhaar,” the minister said.
The government has now ordered re-fixation of posts by including students who had applied for Aadhaar (with EID) or sought correction of errors up to July 14, 2025.
The move is expected to facilitate the reinstatement of several teachers who lost their jobs due to technical discrepancies, he added.
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
