Fresh Selection List for 69,000 Assistant Teachers Ordered by Allahabad HC in UP

The Allahabad High Court has instructed the Uttar Pradesh government to create a new selection list for appointing 69,000 assistant teachers. The court nullified the previous lists from June 2020 and January 2022, which included 6,800 candidates.

A bench of Justice AR Masoodi and Justice Brijraj Singh issued this order while addressing 90 special appeals filed by Mahendra Pal and others. These appeals challenged a single-judge order from March 13 last year. The latest order was uploaded on the court's website on Friday.

Impact on Current Teachers

The court emphasised that the preparation of the new selection list should not adversely affect the currently employed assistant teachers. They should be allowed to complete the ongoing academic session to avoid disrupting students' education.

The bench also revised an earlier order, stating that reserved category candidates who qualify for the general category merit list should be moved to that category. Additionally, vertical reservation benefits should extend to horizontal reservation categories.

Reservation Clarifications

The single-judge had previously ruled that candidates benefiting from reservations in the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) should not be considered under the unreserved category, even if they scored general category cut-off marks. However, the current bench clarified that such candidates should migrate to the general category if they meet the merit criteria.

The court upheld the single-judge's decision to cancel the January 5, 2022, selection list of 6,800 reserved category candidates. The appellants argued that state officials did not accurately apply reservations in selecting 69,000 teachers and questioned the validity of appointing these 6,800 teachers.

New Selection List Timeline

The bench instructed the state government and other relevant authorities to complete issuing a new selection list within three months. This decision is expected to significantly impact the ongoing assistant teacher recruitment process in Uttar Pradesh.

The court's directive aims to ensure fairness in the recruitment process while maintaining continuity in students' education. The revised guidelines for reservations are intended to address previous discrepancies and provide clarity for future selections.