Teacher barred by Kolkata school for staying unvaccinated for Covid-19 loses plea in HC

KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Friday turned down a plea from a teacher who defended his right to remain unvaccinated for Covid because of his religious beliefs and challenged the school's decision to stop his salary for defying a 2021 notice asking all teachers and staff to submit their vaccination certificates.
Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya held that the St James's School teacher's right to remain unvaccinated had to be balanced against the rights of children and other teachers to be protected against Covid.
The school issued a notice on September 28, 2021, asking all staffers to submit vaccination certificates in the next two days or be marked leave-without-pay. Nirjhar Brar, who cited religious beliefs for not taking the vaccine, has not been allowed in school from October 2021 and has not received his salary since then.
Brar moved the HC, arguing that he had come across documented proof that the Covishield vaccine trial was conducted on foetuses, which clashed with his Christian beliefs. The vaccine, he argued, was "tainted" and could not be "forced" on a devout, practising Christian. This had made him uncertain about other available Covid vaccines, like Covaxin, too and he was, ideologically, against any form of "forced vaccination", he said, appealing that the school notice be struck down, he be allowed to teach again and his salary returned with interest.