The Punjab and Haryana high court cleared the decks for the appointment of 2,364 elementary teacher training (ETT) in Punjab. The high court bench of acting chief justice GS Sandhawalia and justice Lapita Banerji dismissed an application moved by the state government seeking clarification on certain points concerning eligibility conditions.
As per lawyer Vikas Chatrath, with this development the appointments are to be made as per the government advertisement of 2020 and results prepared on that basis.
The advertisement for 2,364 teachers for border areas was issued on March 6, 2020, by director, education recruitment directorate, Punjab.
The initial advertisement was for 1,664 posts, which was increased to 2,364 in June 2020. The written test was held on November 29, 2020, and the result was declared on December 5, 2020. The director (recruitment) prepared a provisional merit list that was put out through a public notice.
It was challenged in the high court, and in November 2021, a single judge bench quashed the advertisement and the result prepared observing that the selection criteria specified in the advertisement granting weightage of five marks for higher educational qualification was inherently flawed. The selection had to be made on the basis of recommendations by the education recruitment board, Punjab; but it was being carried out by the recruitment directorate without any lawful authority, making the whole exercise patently illegal, it had recorded.
The decision was challenged in the division bench, however, and on December 19, 2023, a single judge order was quashed and the government was allowed to make appointments as per the advertisement. It was ordered as candidates had submitted that they did not want to challenge the criteria, and the government undertook that the entire selection process was complete and the final result would be declared after eight weeks.
{{/usCountry}}The decision was challenged in the division bench, however, and on December 19, 2023, a single judge order was quashed and the government was allowed to make appointments as per the advertisement. It was ordered as candidates had submitted that they did not want to challenge the criteria, and the government undertook that the entire selection process was complete and the final result would be declared after eight weeks.
{{/usCountry}}However, the result was not declared, and now the government filed an application seeking clarification of the December 2023 order of the division bench.
The court dismissed the application observing that the order by the division was passed in the presence of all the parties, and at that time state’s counsel had not raised any objection.