Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: With a division bench of the Gauhati High Court comprising Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Suman Shyam interfering with the earlier order of a single-judge bench and allowing the state government to continue with the selection process pursuant to the advertisement of August 6, 2024, Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said on his X handle today that ‘the Assam government is proceeding with the selection process. A total of 24,790 candidates have applied, and the Education Department has completed the verification and selection process. The merit list will be published today’.
The division bench heard both the parties (All Assam Primary TET-qualified Teachers’ Association and the Assam Government) and said, “We are of the view that the impugned order of the single judge bench issued on August 12, 2024 is a non-speaking order issued without assigning any reasons and without taking into consideration the ramifications which may cause on account of halting the process of selection pursuant to the advertisement in question. Nobody would be benefitted if the whole process of the recruitment pursuant to the advertisement in question is halted. However, at the same time, we are conscious of the fact that the contractual teachers are agitating for their rights for regularization and other benefits before this court and the matter is pending. Hence, in the interest of justice, it is appropriate to allow the state government to continue with the selection process pursuant to the advertisement dated August 6, 2024. In such circumstances, the interim order passed by the learned single judge is interfered with, and the state is allowed to continue with the selection process initiated pursuant to the advertisement dated August 6, 2024. However, it is made clear that the selection process pursuant to the said advertisement would not affect the claims of the contractual teachers raised in WP(C) 4031/2024 and other writ petitions, regarding regularization etc., pending before this Court, and the selection pursuant to the advertisement in question would remain subject to the outcome of WP(C) No. 4031/2024 and other writ petitions filed by the contractual teachers.”
This writ appeal is preferred on behalf of the state being aggrieved with the order dated August 12, 2024 passed by the learned single judge in WP(C) (4031/2024), whereby, the learned single judge, while issuing notices to the respective respondents in the writ petition, passed an interim order to the effect that the advertisement of August 6, 2024 issued by the Director of Elementary Education, Assam, inviting online applications from the contractual and State Pool contractual teachers under SSA for filling up 35,133 posts of teachers of Lower Primary, Assistant Teachers of Upper Primary, and Science Graduate Teachers in Upper Primary School shall remain suspended till the next date.
Also read: Assam: ASPTA favours regularization of contractual teachers in state (sentinelassam.com)
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