In court case bearing O.A. No. 1239/2005 filed by Shri. K.S. Patnaik and 78 other Railway school teachers before Central Administrative Tribunal, Kolkata branch, Kolkata, regarding vocations/ holidays admissible to Railway teachers, the Hon’ble Tribunal has observed
“Leave entitlement and holidays for all teachers in the Railways irrespective of the Zone/State has to be same. This total number should have no relationship with the State in which they are located.”
In the aforesaid case the Hon’ble Tribunal has accordingly, issued directions that
“This total number can be fixed by the Railway Board on a reference made to it, keeping all factors in view. Once the total number of holidays is fixed it can be left for individual Zones to fix the distribution of such holidays, the overall total remaining the same.”
2. The judgment of Hon’ble CAT/Kolkata in abovementioned O.A. No. 1239/2005 filed by Shri. K.S. Patnaik and others has been further upheld by Hon’ble High Court of Calcutta in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 304/2011 filed by the Railways.
3. Pursuant to abovesaid directions of Hon’ble CAT/Kolkata as upheld by Hon’ble Calcutta High Court, the matter has been examined in the Railway Board in consultation with Legal Advisor/Railway Board, keeping various perspectives in view including the existing number of vacations/holidays admissible to Railway School teachers over various Zonal Railways, number of vacations/holidays admissible to school teachers in Kendriya Vidyalayas, number of holidays available to Railway employees in general and guidelines issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), New Delhi etc.
Accordingly, it has been decided to fix uniform number of vacations/holidays admissible to Railway School teachers (including Lecturers/Junior Lecturers in Railway Inter-Colleges wherever existing) over all Indian Railways in the manner as stated below:
i) Railway schools shall function for 6 hours and 10 minutes duration in a day (total 370 minutes) which shall include assembly/prayer time of 20 minutes at the start in the morning, a recess break of 30 minutes and a total of 8 periods of 40 minutes duration each, distributed evenly before and after the recess.
ii) number of vacations/holidays admissible to Railway School teachers during the academic session shall be as below:
a) Summer vacations – 50 days (starting from a date between 11th & 15th May)
b) Autumn break/Dussehra holidays – 10 days (as per festival calendar)
c) Winter break – 13 days (starting from 23 rd - 24 th December)
iii) The above is the normal schedule of vacations and Zonal Railways are at liberty to distribute these vacations as per local festival/customary requirements or climatic conditions but keeping the total to 73 vacations in a year. Oak Grove School, Jharipani, Mussoorie (Northern Railway) may observe loner winter vacations within the number of vacations prescribed.
iii) 14 compulsory holidays including 3 national holidays to be observed as per calendar circulated by Railway Board every year.
iv) 5 additional holidays from the list of optional holidays/ restricted holidays as circulated by Railway Board every year, at the discretion of Zonal Railways.
v) Every Sunday shall be weekly off and every 2nd Saturday of the month shall also be a non-working day in Railway schools.
vi) No separate holiday shall be admissible for Annual Day and Sports Day in Railway Schools and these days may be observed by suitable adjustments or compensation.
4) Leave entitlement of vacation staff including teachers are regulated in terms of Liberalized Leave Rules, as amended from time to time.
5) The aforesaid schedule of working/ vacations/ holidays may be implemented in all Railway schools from the academic session 2013-14 and compliance reported to Railway Board.
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