The faculty and non-teaching staff of A.M. Jain College staged an impromptu sit-in on Wednesday for five hours, demanding salary for May and June.

The members receive their salary directly from the Directorate of College Education once the college produces the salary bill under the Tamil Nadu Private College Regulation Act. The secretary of the college signs the salary bill and the joint director makes the payment directly, the protesters said.

The college was managed by S.S. Jain Educational Society and the society was unable to satisfy the DCE with regard to the choice of secretaryship of the college, they said.

For over a year, the DCE had permitted the college to claim the salary bill but the recently appointed DCE invoked a G.O. that permits the government to appoint a special officer to administer the college. The DCE appointed regional joint director R. Ravanan to oversee the functioning of the aided institution.

The college management, meanwhile, has sought quashing of the G.O., meanwhile through court. Mr. Ravanan signed the salary bills for April forwarded by the Principal late in June. A faculty said, “We are yet to get the salary for May and June. The bill has not yet gone to the Joint Director’s Office for approval.”

Mr. Ravanan said, “We got a direction from the court that we should disburse salary. We have asked for a report from the Principal but we have not got it yet. There may be around 75 faculty members.”

The college Principal, N. Venkataramanan, said “it was subjudice to talk as the college management had appealed against the G.O.” The faculty dispersed in the evening after an assurance from him that the bills would be sent to the RJD on Thursday, he said.