69000 Shiksha Mitras' Recruitment: Supreme Court Dismisses Appeal Challenging UP Govt's Decision To Increase Cut-Off Marks

A Bench headed by Justice UU Lalit further recorded the State's contention that the Shiksha Mitras would be given one last chance to compete in the next recruitment examination and the modalities of the same would be discerned by the State.

Further, the Uttar Pradesh Government has been given the go-ahead by the Apex Court to fill the remaining 37,339 posts of Assistant Teachers (Shiksha Mitras) in line with the result announced in May, 2020. These posts had been kept vacant vide a June 9 Order which had stayed the selection process in the State.

On 24 July, the Supreme Court had reserved its judgement in the batch of pleas, the lead matter being filed by Uttar Pradesh Shiksha Mitra Assocation which had challenged the Allahabad High Court's order wherein the State's decision to keep higher cut-off marks for the recruitment of 69,000 teachers in primary schools was upheld.

The UP Government, vide a notification dated January 7, 2019, had increased the cut-off marks to 65 and 60, for the General and Reserved categories respectively, in the 2019 examination, thereby leaving 32,629 Shiksha Mitra candidates out. The Allahabad High Court had confirmed the State Government's decision of keeping higher cut-off marks for the recruitment of 69,000 teachers in primary schools of the state.

On June 3, the Allahabad High Court had stayed appointment of 69,000 assistant basic teachers in Uttar Pradesh, days after the Supreme Court sought the Uttar Pradesh government's reply on pleas challenging the High Court verdict, which had upheld the state's decision to keep higher cut-off marks for these appointments.

In its May 6 verdict, the High Court had directed the state government to complete within the next three months the process for appointment of 69,000 assistant basic teachers in Uttar Pradesh.

The Supreme Court had, on May 21, asked the State Government to explain the process adopted for the appointments through a chart.

A bench of Justices U.U. Lalit, M.M. Shantanagoudar and Vineet Saran had initially declined to interfere with the High Court verdict. However, it later modified its order and issued notice to the State Government, posting the matter for further hearing on July 6.

The Uttar Pradesh government was directed to explain why it had changed the earlier criteria of 45 per cent cut-off marks for the General category and 40 per cent for the Reserved category.

On June 9, the Top Court had directed the Uttar Pradesh Government to keep 37,339 posts of Assistant Teachers (Shiksha Mitras) vacant, thereby staying the ongoing selection process of teachers in the state.

It was after passing of the said order that the petitions were listed for July 14. However, confusions ensued as State Government had begun recruitment processes for filling up the remaining posts which had not been filled up via examination.

The Court observed that it was prima facie borne from the records that the State Government of UP was proceeding with the selection to fill up all posts, despite the May 21 order, wherein the Top Court had passed interim orders directing that, "All Shiksha Mitras who are presently holding their posts as Assistant Teachers shall not be disturbed".