WP(C) 1519/2009 BEFORE HON’BLE MR JUSTICE AMITAVA ROY The common grievance of the petitioners pertains to non-payment of their salary from the month of July, 2006. I have heard Mr. P. Sharma, learned Counsel for the petitioners and Mr. K. Das, learned Standing Counsel, Bodoland Territorial Council (hereafte r referred to as the Council for short). Also heard Mr. D. Saikia, learned Stand ing Counsel, Revenue. The petitioners’ pleaded case in short is that they had been app ointed as stipendiary teachers by the District Elementary Education Officer, Nal bari, by order dated 4/12/1999 pursuant to which they accordingly joined their p laces of posting. Their services were also regularized in the meantime. Their gr ievance is that though they have been rendering their service till date, their s alary has been held up from the month of July, 2006. As inspite of several repre sentations and appeals to the departmental authorities, their salary has not bee n released they are before this Court for redress. Though the respondents have not filed their counter, the learned Standing Counsel for the Council has apprised this Court that in the meantime s how cause notices have been issued to the petitioners asking them to show cause as to why their services would not be terminated on the grounds as enumerated th erein. Mr. Das has therefore urged that pending a decision on the proce ss so undertaken no direction for payment of salary as prayed for ought to be ma de. In this regard, the learned Standing Counsel has drawn the attention of this Court to a decision rendered by it on 1/12/2008 in WP(C) 4302/2008, Sri Anima B oro and others versus the State of Assam and others. Mr. Sharma, however, has insisted that as the petitioners are re ndering their services as on date, there cannot be any reason sanctioned by law to withhold their salary even if a decision on the show cause notices issued to them is pending. Being seized with a similar situation, this Court, by order date d 1/12/2008 passed in Smt. Anima Boro and others supra, had declined the prayer for a direction for payment of salary in arrears from July, 2006 to the petition ers therein, thereby permitting the Council to complete the process initiated by them on the basis of the show cause notice with the observation that if the app ointments of the petitioners are found to be legal and valid they would be entit led and hence paid their salary. The Council was left at liberty to take appropr iate action in case the determination was adverse to the petitioners. Having regard to the rival pleas, I do not consider that a diffe rent course need be adopted by this Court in the attending facts and circumstanc es. The Council, in the above premise, would complete the exercise started with the show cause notices as above and take an appropriate decision depending on th e outcome thereof as indicated in Smt. Anima Boro and others, supra. As the peti tioners are waiting in expectation, the Council would expedite the process and c omplete the same at the earliest. The petition stands disposed in the above terms. No costs.