Teacher Recruitment: Will 361 Teachers Keep Their Jobs? Supreme Court’s 6 Tough Questions Cause Extreme Concern!

Teacher Recruitment: In a crucial hearing at the Supreme Court concerning teacher recruitment, a significant question mark has been placed over the future of approximately 361 teachers. The hearing, held on the bench of Justice Dipankar Datta, involved strict observations on the teachers’ appointment process and its legality, intensifying fears of job cancellation.

Background of the Case

The case primarily revolves around the validity of the appointment of 361 teachers. The main allegation is that a previously formed three-member committee had made an erroneous decision to retain these teachers’ jobs. The petitioner’s lawyer argued in court that the teachers met the Minimum Eligibility Criteria and their appointments were conducted correctly. However, complications arose when the court questioned which specific Rules were followed for these appointments.

Hearing Details and Judge’s Observations

During the hearing, Justice Datta inquired about the specific rules or regulations under which the appointment letters were issued. In response, the petitioner’s counsel referred to notifications from 2015 and 2016. However, the judge insisted on seeing the specific ‘Recruitment Rules’.

Justice Datta raised several critical questions during the hearing, steering the case in a new direction:

• Recruitment Rules: The judge questioned whether the 2015 rules were applicable only to minority institutions or Madrasahs and how the 2016 notification was implemented.
• Vacancy and Approval: Was the vacancy approved by the DI (District Inspector) before the recruitment process began?
• Advertisement: Was a proper advertisement published in newspapers for the recruitment?
• School Recognition: After reviewing documents, the judge commented that the ‘Recognition’ of the Madrasah or school where the appointments were made had expired.

After lengthy arguments between the state’s counsel and the petitioners’ lawyer, the Justice made it clear that any appointment made without following proper rules and without the DI’s approval could be deemed illegal.

Supreme Court’s 6 Crucial Questions

To resolve the case, Justice Dipankar Datta has posed six specific questions. If satisfactory answers and evidence for these questions are not provided, the teachers’ jobs could be cancelled.

1. Proof of Recognition: Evidence must be shown that the concerned Madrasah is government-recognized.
2. Managing Committee: If the appointment was made by the Managing Committee, proof must be submitted that the committee was formed following proper regulations.
3. Staff Pattern and Vacancy: Details of the staff pattern at that time and information on the vacancies must be presented.
4. DI Approval: Proof of approval from the DI (District Inspector) for the said post must be submitted.
5. Advertisement: The advertisement that was issued for the recruitment must be presented to the court.
6. Selection Process: Evidence must be provided on whether a Fresh Selection Process or interview was conducted.

Next Steps

As per the court’s directive, the State or the Madrasah Service Commission must submit an affidavit with answers to these six questions 72 hours before the next hearing. If satisfactory answers are not provided, the possibility of the 361 teachers losing their jobs is very high. The next hearing for the case has been scheduled for December 17th.