There’s a happy conclusion to last month’s story about Sanjay Salve, a public school teacher who was denied pay raises due to him because he refused to pray at a school function. Rather than folding his hands to pray, Salve would hold his hands behind his back, as he describes it, “wondering why I should pray to the god of a religion which I do not follow.” The headmaster was not happy, and Salve was denied regular pay raises.

But now, The Hindu Times reports that the school has backed down:

The Savitribai Phule Secondary School in Nashik informed a Division Bench of the Bombay High Court on Friday that it was ready to pay Mr. Salve’s dues from 2008, the year from which he was eligible for a higher pay scale. The school also agreed to let him stand without folding his hands during prayers.

And it only took six years.

Salve’s act is particularly brave in the light of the recent persecution and even murder of high profile atheists and skeptics in India. For his sake, I hope this is the end of this fight for him and that he faces no further repercussions.

(Image via Shutterstock)



