Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, urging the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognizance of what he described as the “systematic exploitation of teachers” and the collapse of accountability in private educational institutions across India.

In an appeal timed ahead of Teachers’ Day, a citizen namely Rana Pratap Singh has written to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, urging the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognizance of what he described as the “systematic exploitation of teachers” and the collapse of accountability in private educational institutions across India.

The letter, addressed as a tribute to Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, laments that while teachers once commanded reverence second only to parents, they are today reduced to “living in despair, silenced and invisible.” The plea frames the issue not just as an employment crisis but as a matter of “national interest” impacting the dignity of educators and the future of India’s youth.

The petitioner highlights that private schools, colleges, and universities routinely flout statutory mandates by UGC, AICTE, and CBSE regarding pay scales and service conditions. Teachers are denied even basic salaries, increments, and benefits such as provident fund, gratuity, or health insurance, forcing many into near destitution.

Adding to the crisis, the letter points out that most private institutions either fail to constitute Governing Bodies as required by law or treat them as rubber stamps. In practice, private trusts and societies wield unchecked control, avoiding accountability and bypassing teacher and parent representation.

In higher education, the situation is described as “deeply disturbing.” The petitioner alleges widespread misuse of public funds meant for student scholarships, ghost enrollments where students exist only on paper, and rampant examination malpractices producing graduates with degrees but no skills.

The appeal criticizes regulators such as AICTE for discontinuing inspections and shifting to “self-declarations” by institutions. According to the letter, this has created a regime of “paper colleges” lacking infrastructure, qualified faculty, and academic seriousness, while continuing to siphon public money.

The author calls this practice “a license for corruption and academic decay,” noting that unchecked profiteering undermines India’s demographic dividend.

The letter urges the Supreme Court to step in with systemic remedies, suggesting concrete measures: