India, June 20 -- The Bombay High Court on Friday assured unaided schools and their teachers that they "need not be apprehensive" about criminal proceedings initiated against some teachers for failing to report for duties related to the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad was hearing a petition challenging the deployment of teachers of private undecided schools across Maharashtra as booth level officers (BLOs) for SIR-related duties. The petition questioned the notices sent by electoral officers to around 320 teachers, directing them to undertake SIR-related work. It said that electoral officers didn't have the power to appoint staff of pri...