Supreme Court Halts Allahabad High Court’s Order on 69,000 Teacher Appointments in Uttar Pradesh
New Delhi, India – The Supreme Court of India has paused an order from the Allahabad High Court that directed the Uttar Pradesh government to create a new list of 69,000 candidates for assistant teacher positions based on the 2019 Assistant Teachers Recruitment Examination (ATRE).
Supreme Court’s Decision
A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, decided to keep the Allahabad High Court’s order on hold. The Supreme Court was hearing appeals against the High Court’s decision.
Background
On August 13, the Allahabad High Court had instructed the Uttar Pradesh government to prepare a revised list of 69,000 assistant teachers selected through the ATRE in 2019. The High Court’s order required the state to ignore previous select lists from June 1, 2020, and January 5, 2022.
Concerns Raised
The petitioners, represented by advocate Rakesh Mishra, expressed concerns that redrawing the list could result in job losses for candidates who were already selected. They requested the court to maintain the current situation until the Supreme Court hears the case.
High Court’s Instructions
The Allahabad High Court had also directed that the new list should follow the quality points outlined in the Service Rules of 1981 and adhere to the reservation policy under the Reservation Act of 1994. The court stated that if a reserved category candidate meets the general category merit, they should be moved to the general category.
Reservation Policy
The High Court emphasized that vertical reservation should give way to horizontal reservation as per applicable statutes, rules, and government orders. It also mentioned that any working candidates affected by the new list should be given session benefits to ensure students do not suffer.
2018 Decision
In 2018, the Uttar Pradesh government decided to fill 69,000 assistant teacher vacancies through the ATRE-2019, following the 22nd amendment in the Service Rules of 1981. The petitioners had challenged a state government circular from January 7, 2019, regarding the qualifying examination for ATRE-2019.
Doubts Revealed
Supreme Court -: The Supreme Court is the highest court in India. It makes important decisions about laws and justice.
Allahabad High Court -: The Allahabad High Court is a major court in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It handles important legal cases in that region.
Uttar Pradesh -: Uttar Pradesh is a large state in northern India. It has many cities and a big population.
Assistant Teachers Recruitment Examination (ATRE) -: The Assistant Teachers Recruitment Examination (ATRE) is a test that people take to become assistant teachers in schools in Uttar Pradesh.
petitioners -: Petitioners are people who ask the court to make a decision about something. In this case, they are worried about losing their jobs.
quality points -: Quality points are scores or marks given to candidates based on their performance in exams or other criteria.
reservation policies -: Reservation policies are rules that reserve a certain number of jobs or seats in schools for specific groups of people, like those from lower castes or tribes.
vertical and horizontal reservations -: Vertical reservations are for specific groups like Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes. Horizontal reservations are for categories like women or disabled people, within those groups.