J&K govt asks school to reinstate teacher couple sacked on wedding day

The Jammu & Kashmir government has asked the management of a private school to reinstate a teacher couple who were sacked on their wedding day.

The school management claimed their "romance could adversely affect the students".

State Education Minister Altaf Bukhari said the teachers would be retained in the school as they have not committed any wrong.

"The director education has taken up the matter with the school management. By now the issue must have been resolved if there is no other complaint against the couple except for what was reported in the newspapers," Bukhari told reporters.

Tariq Ahmad and his wife Sumaya, residents of the volatile Tral area of south Kashmir's Pulwama district, were teaching in the Boys' and Girls' wings, respectively, of Pampore Muslim Educational Institute for the past several years.

Their services were abruptly terminated by the school management on November 30, the day they married

While the school management said the duo were relieved from service as they were in a "romantic relationship" before getting married, the couple claimed that they had an arranged marriage.

"It is not good for the 2,000 students of the school and 200 staff members working there. This can adversely affect the students," the chairman of the school was quoted by the local media as having said.

Bukhari said even if the couple were in a relationship before marriage, there was nothing wrong with it.

"They performed Nikkah (marriage according to Islamic traditions) and their wedding was solemnized by their parents," Bukhari said.

The couple had alleged that the school management was "tarnishing" their image.

"We got married, which is the right thing to do from whichever perspective one looks. We have not sinned or committed a crime," they said.