By Maheesha Mudugamuwa A fundamental rights (FR) petition has been filed by the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) against the deduction of a day’s salary from the monthly salary of principals and teachers in the Eastern Province to a government fund without their written approval. The petition has been filed by CTU President Priyantha Fernando, Secretary Joseph Stalin, and a teacher of the Eastern Province, namely Ponnadurai Udayaruban who’s salary had been deducted to the government fund. The Eastern Province Education Director, Eastern Province Chief Secretary, Eastern Province Governor, and the Attorney General have been named as the respondents. Speaking to The Morning, CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin said there has been a FR violation of CTU members in the Eastern Province as a day’s salary had been deducted without the approval of its members. He stressed that neither the Government nor any other authority can take such arbitrary decisions on an employee’s salary without their approval and there were several court decisions that had been given prohibiting such actions without the approval of an employee. “A court decision given in 1985 had clearly mentioned that the government cannot deduct any amount from a month’s salary of an employee without his/her approval. Even in an instance where the government had deducted Rs. 50 from pensioners to support the Government Defence Fund had been declared as illegal,” Stalin explained. The union leader further stressed that if an employee willingly contributes to any fund, it cannot be questioned. However, deducting any amount from a salary without prior approval is completely illegal.