Supreme Court Stays High Court Ruling On Uttar Pradesh Assistant Teacher Recruitment

The Supreme Court has temporarily halted the High Court’s decision to cancel the list of selected candidates for the Uttar Pradesh Assistant Teacher Recruitment 2019 and to create a new list. This ruling represents a significant win for candidates in the general category. The Supreme Court has instructed all parties involved to submit written arguments.

Previously, the High Court had mandated the preparation of a new list within three months. This decision followed a petition from a general category candidate seeking to block the High Court’s ruling. The High Court also directed that if the new list adversely affected current assistant teachers, those teachers should retain their positions to avoid disrupting students’ education.

Also Read: Bengaluru Cafe Blast Accused Planned To Target Karnataka BJP HQ On Jan 22, Reveals NIA

The High Court’s decision to revise the list could potentially displace thousands of teachers who have been serving for the past four years. The Basic Education Department initially released results for the 69,000 Assistant Teacher Recruitment Examination on June 1, 2020. The recruitment list set the cut-off marks at 67.11 percent for general category candidates and 66.73 percent for OBC candidates. Officials published the list of 69,000 candidates on June 1, 2020, and issued a separate list of 6,800 candidates on January 5, 2020.

The High Court also upheld a single bench’s decision to reject the list of 6,800 reserved category candidates. On March 8, 2023, the single bench ruled that the list for 69,000 teacher recruitments was invalid and that the Apex Talent Reward Exam should not qualify as an eligibility test. The double bench of the High Court modified this order, instructing the government to adhere to Section 3 (6) of the Reservation Rules 1994 and the Basic Education Rules 1981.

Historically, during the Samajwadi Party’s tenure in Uttar Pradesh, 137,000 Shiksha Mitras were appointed as assistant teachers. This adjustment led to a Supreme Court case, which resulted in the court ordering the Yogi Adityanath government to conduct a fresh examination for these posts. Subsequently, the Supreme Court mandated filling the positions in two phases. In 2018, the Yogi government issued a vacancy notice for 68,500 posts and completed the recruitment of 69,000 assistant teachers in the second phase.