In the age when prices of essential commodities are touching sky high, a primary school teacher in West Bengal is getting a monthly salary of just Rs 21.75.

Pranab Kumar Sengupta has been drawing the amount as salary since 1973.

Despite winning several times in court against the primary school council of the West Bengal government's education department, Sengupta has not been able to get his proper salary as per the present pay scale.

The latest order in his favour from the high court came on Thursday, but Sengupta was sceptical after the fate of earlier orders.

A division bench comprising Justice Ashim Banerjee and Justice Tapas Giri rejected an appeal by the North 24 Parganas district primary school council against a contempt petition filed by the teacher against the council for not paying his dues.

Sengupta joined as an assistant teacher on March 21, 1973, at Basak Bagan Primary School after appointment by the managing committee.

Between 1975 and 1991, various representations were made before the state authorities for approval of Sengupta's service, but nothing happened.

In 1993, Sengupta moved the Calcutta High Court seeking regularisation of his service as well as for other consequential benefits.

In April 1994, the writ petition was disposed of with the court directing the school education department of West Bengal to grant approval of appointment to Sengupta from the date of his appointment forthwith, preferably within one month from the date of communication of the order as also to release the consequential benefits.

Justice P K Mukherjee had in his order observed that had the matter been properly dealt with administratively earlier and had the officers concerned visualised the realities of the situation, the petition would not have been made before the court and that it reflected a really sorry state of affairs.

But despite the rap, nothing happened and the petitioner filed a contempt petition in August 1994 and in November 1995, the court held that the respondents had committed contempt of court and directed it to comply with the earlier order.
 
But since this order was also not complied with, the teacher filed a second contempt petition against the education department in August 1996.

In November 1996, the court issued a contempt rule against the then chairman of the North 24 Parganas district primary council for not filing a report as per its direction.      The chairman had then in March 1997 preferred an appeal against the order passed in the second contempt petition, but a division bench dismissed the appeal in September 1999.

In October 2002, an appeal against the original order of 1994 that had directed the education department to give appointment to Sengupta was dismissed by a division bench.

An appeal against an order in the contempt petition before Justice K J Sengupta was also dismissed by a division bench in March 2004.

In July 2004, Sengupta got the fruit of his labour and was given a salary of Rs 8,390.

But his joy was short-lived as a month later, the salary was stopped and he was again paid only Rs 21.75.

Sengupta had to again make rounds of courts and thanks to his benevolent counsel Saibalendu Bhowmick, who has been fighting his case without fees that he has been able to win another round.