New Delhi: The Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow bench has issued a significant ruling that could impact the jobs of thousands of teachers selected through the 69,000 Assistant Teacher Recruitment Examination. The court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to prepare a new selection list within three months, raising concerns over the employment status of those already recruited.
In its verdict on Friday, the court quashed the earlier selection lists, including the list released on 1 June 2020 and the supplementary list of 6,800 candidates issued on 5 January 2022. The bench, comprising Justices AR Masoodi and Brijraj Singh, instructed the state to ensure that candidates from reserved categories who qualify under the general category merit are migrated accordingly. The revised list must apply reservations only after this adjustment.
To mitigate disruption in schools, the court ordered that any existing teacher affected by the updated list should be allowed to continue until the end of the current academic session. This provision aims to ensure that students’ studies are not interrupted and that affected teachers do not immediately lose their jobs.
Following the court’s decision, the Basic Education Department announced that it is reviewing the ruling to determine the next steps. The department assured that no one would face injustice as they navigate the legal implications of the order.
The ruling came as the court disposed of 90 special appeals challenging a single bench judgment delivered on 13 March 2023. The appeals were related to alleged non-compliance with reservation quotas during the recruitment process. The judgment was pronounced on petitions filed by Ashok Yadav and other candidates who had contested the previous selection procedures.
The decision casts uncertainty over the recruitment process and has prompted renewed debate over the state’s handling of reservations in public sector jobs. The coming months will be crucial as the government works to comply with the court’s directives while balancing the interests of those already employed.
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