TET Review Petition: Supreme Court TET Case Hearing Delayed Know Defect List And Current Status
TET Review Petition: On September 1, 2025, a bench of the Supreme Court, including Honorable Justice Dipankar Datta, delivered a landmark judgment making the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) mandatory for teachers. Given the far-reaching implications of this verdict, multiple parties have approached the court seeking a review. However, despite the filings, there is significant confusion regarding the hearing dates. The teaching community is anxious to know why the hearings for these crucial cases have not yet commenced.
This report details the current status of the review petitions filed in the Supreme Court, the legal reasons behind the delay in hearings, and updates regarding the ‘Defect List’.
Current Petition Statistics in Supreme Court
Following the September 1st verdict, a total of 30 petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court so far. Various teacher associations, the State Government, and the Primary Education Board are participating in this legal process. The breakdown of the petitions is as follows:
- Review Petitions: 28
- Modification Application: 1
- Writ Petition: 1
Why is the Hearing Delayed? The Role of the ‘Defect List’
The primary reason for the delay in announcing hearing dates is the presence of certain legal errors or ‘Defects’ in the petitions. According to Supreme Court rules, once a petition is filed, the registry department verifies it. If there are any structural or informational errors in the file, it is placed on the ‘Defect List’.
Legally, applicants are granted up to 90 days to rectify or ‘clear’ these defects. Until these errors are completely cured, the case is not considered a matter for judgment and cannot be listed for hearing. Currently, most of the significant cases are stuck due to these defects.
Important Cases Currently on the Defect List
From the State Government to various teacher associations, petitions filed by many key stakeholders are currently on the Defect List. The table below highlights the current status of these defective cases:
| Petitioner / Case Name | Date Filed (2025) | Current Status |
|---|---|---|
| Bidhan Kumar Mandal (On behalf of BGTA) | November 11 | Defect List |
| Bangiya Prathamik Shikshak Samiti (Secretary) | November 12 | Defect List |
| West Bengal Board of Primary Education | November 12 | Defect List |
| Chinmoy Ghosh (BGTA) | November 17 | Defect List |
| Women Teachers Association | November 17 | Defect List |
| Nurnesha Khatun | November 22 | Defect List |
| State of West Bengal | November 28 | Defect List |
The court will not announce a hearing date until the defects in the aforementioned cases are rectified.
Recently Filed Cases and Verification Process
Recently, a few more new cases have been filed, which are still under the verification stage by the Supreme Court registry. Since the verification process is not yet complete, no defects have been flagged in these cases so far.
- Tamil Nadu Graduate Teachers Federation: Filed on December 2, 2025.
- Ramesh Tukaram Bankar: Filed on December 5, 2025.
Once verification is complete, it will be known whether any corrections are required for these filings.
Future Steps and Hearing Possibilities
The main question among teachers is, when will the hearing take place? Legal experts state that the cases will be ready for hearing only after the ‘defects’ in all review petitions and applications are cured. The possibility of more new petitions being filed in the future cannot be ruled out either.
After clearing all legal complexities, the Supreme Court will decide on the mode of hearing—whether it will be in a ‘Closed Chamber’ (Judges’ private chambers) or an ‘Open Hearing’ (in open court). For now, until the defects are cleared, it is not possible to predict a specific date.
