Seniority norms challenged, HC stays promotion of elementary teachers across Punjab

The Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday stayed the promotions of teachers appointed on the basis of Elementary Teacher Training (ETT) to the posts of master across Punjab, because the seniority list did not give benefit of previous service to those who had worked in schools under the panchayats department.

The Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday stayed the promotions of teachers appointed on the basis of Elementary Teacher Training (ETT) to the posts of master across Punjab, because the seniority list did not give benefit of previous service to those who had worked in schools under the panchayats department.

The court acted on a petition by Vikas Sharma and others of Hoshiarpur district who had challenged the list, which had been finalised on January 3 by the education department at the local level for teachers in each district.

The court acted on a petition by Vikas Sharma and others of Hoshiarpur district who had challenged the list, which had been finalised on January 3 by the education department at the local level for teachers in each district.

The court was told that they were denied the benefit of their past service on the same rank with schools that functioned under the panchayat samiti. It was in September 2014 that the state government had decided to shift back the management of 5,752 such schools — with 13,034 sanctioned posts — from the rural development and panchayats department, to the education department. The schools had earlier been given to the panchayats department with the aim of strengthening infrastructure in rural areas. However, that arrangement did not succeed and the government reversed its decision.

The HC bench of justice Jaswant Singh, while putting stay on promotions based on the list, issued a notice to the state government for January 31.