Shimla, May 3 -- The Himachal Pradesh high court asked education department officials to "file a reply within a week" after the office bearers of Primary Teachers' Union moved the HC against suspensions of eight teachers.

Primary teachers have been on a hunger strike in Shimla since April 26.

Issuing notices to the education secretary and director of school education on Thursday, the court said if they do not file the reply within the given time, it will have to "decide the application for interim relief on basis of the material already available on record." The case is listed for May 13.

Union President Jagdish Sharma, Sanjay, Pratap Thakur and Ram Singh Rao have filed the petition for interim relief.

The petitioners said the state g...