The Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to fill up 69,000 posts of Assistant Teachers hit a roadblock after the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the state to keep 37,339 posts vacant while going ahead with the recruitment process over the remaining seats.
The decision came on an application moved by Shiksha Mitras who have challenged the decision of the UP Government to steeply hike the qualifying marks criteria for the Assistant Teacher Recruitment Examination (ATRE) – 2019 from 40-45 per cent in 2018 to 60-65 per cent last year. A total of 45,357 Shiksha Mitras working in the state appeared in ATRE-2019 of which 8018 qualified.
The remaining 37,339 approached the apex court challenging the result. According to them, ATRE-2018 and ATRE-2019 should be considered as a single examination and hence the state was wrong in prescribing 40-45 per cent qualifying marks in one exam and 60-65 per cent marks as cut-off in the subsequent year’s test.
On May 21 this year, the Supreme Court passed an interim order which said, “Tthe services of all Shiksha Mitras who are presently holding their posts as Assistant Teachers shall not be disturbed. However, it shall be open to the State Government to fill up the remaining posts by taking resort to the instant selection.” The UP Government still went ahead with the recruitment process over the entire 69000 posts which forced the Shiksha Mitras to move an application.
On Tuesday, a bench of Justices MM Shantanagouder and Vineet Saran heard the application and found substance in the prayer to reserve 37,339 posts till their case is finally decided. The bench said, “it is, prima facie, borne out from the records now produced that the State Government is proceeding with the selection to fill up all the posts. Such process to be adopted by the State Government shall not be permitted in view of the interim order passed by this Court on May 21.”
The Court questioned the state as to why the hurry to fill up the posts when classes are not being held. UP’s Additional Advocate General Aishwarya Bhati informed the Court that virtual classes were on and the state wanted to roll out the recruitment to ensure classes are not affected.
The matter is next listed on July 14. By then, the state has to inform the Court as to how many among the 37,339 petitioners had secured more than 40 per cent marks in reserved category and 45 per cent marks in general category.
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