The Bombay High Court directed three Maharashtra government departments to deposit a total of ₹ 27.91 crore with the court within two weeks towards outstanding amounts payable to Sinhgad Technical Education Society (STES), after noting that around 1,200 teaching and non-teaching employees have been struggling with prolonged salary dues.
The order records that STES had undertaken before the court on August 1 to clear ₹ 21.04 crore in outstanding salaries by August 31. Because of financial constraints, however, in an affidavit filed on September 18, STES founder president Maruti Nivrutti Navale said the society could not clear the entire amount.
The society attributed its financial difficulties partly to pending fee reimbursements from government departments for students from reserved categories. The court was informed that the OBC Welfare Department had identified ₹ 61.61 crore as payable to STES for the period from 2018-19 to 2025-26.
Subject to hearing the parties, the court said it would consider whether the Maharashtra Educational Institutions (Transfer of Management) Act, 1971 and the Maharashtra Educational Institutions (Management) Act, 1976 should be invoked if the problems continued and STES failed to address employees’ grievances.
“It is a serious issue on the part of the education authorities as to why appropriate action as the law would mandate was not taken,” it said, directing the state and the concerned authorities to respond at the next hearing.
