SC bars UP from filling 37k posts of asst teachers
NEWDELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Uttar Pradesh government not to fill up all the 69,000 posts of assistant basic teachers and instead keep 37,339 posts vacant, which are currently held by Shiksha Mitras.
The top court said it had directed the state government on May 21 that the services of all the Siksha Mitras, presently working on the post of assistant teachers, shall not be disturbed.
A bench of Justices M M Shantangoudar and Vineet Saran said that despite the order “it is, prima facie, borne out from the records now produced that the State Government is proceeding with the selection to fill up all the posts. Such process to be adopted by the State Government shall not be permitted in view of the interim order passed by this Court on May 21, 2020”.
The top court was hearing a batch of petitions challenging various orders of the high court
and the government on the issue of appointment of assistant basic teachers. Counsel for petitioners pointed out that it was not disputed by any party that 37,339 persons, who are currently working as Shiksha Mitras, have appeared for the examination of assistant basic teachers. “In view of the same, it is open for the State Government to fill up the remaining posts of assistant teachers other than 37,339. In other words, 37,339 posts of assistant teachers shall be kept vacant. Other posts can be filled up,” the bench said and posted the matter for further hearing on July 14.
Appointment of assistant basic teachers in Uttar Pradesh has seen several rounds of litigations from High Court to Supreme Court. It is second round of litigation in the top court.
On June 3, the Allahabad High Court, while hearing pleas of several unsuccessful candidates, had stayed the appointment of 69,000 assistant basic teachers in the state, holding that there has been an ‘error’ in the evaluation of question paper. The top court on May 21, had issued notice and sought state government’s reply on a batch of pleas challenging the May 6 verdict of the Allahabad High Court which upheld the state’s decision to keep higher cut-off marks for the appointment of 69,000 assistant basic teachers. It had said that pending notice, the services of all Shiksha Mitras who are presently holding their posts as assistant teachers shall not be disturbed.
The top court had, however, allowed the state government to fill up the remaining posts of assistant teachers by taking resort to the present selection process.