HC rules on seniority in promotion of teachers

Updated on: Tuesday, August 10, 2010

The Allahabad High Court today ruled that seniority cannot be the sole criterion for granting promotion to a government school teacher and that fulfilment of all norms set by Uttar Pradesh Secondary Education Service Commission was essential to lay claim to career advancement.

Passing the order, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice F I Rebello and Justice A P Sahi, however, made it clear that the judgement did not imply that management committees of schools could have "a free hand in by-passing any genuine claim of promotion".

The order was passed while dismissing the special appeal of Deoki Verma, an assistant teacher at a secondary school in Agra, who had challenged a single judge order turning down her writ petition challenging the promotion given to her junior while ignoring her own claim.

Verma had moved the court with the contention that a post had fallen vacant at her school following the retirement of a teacher but her claim for promotion was ignored while another assistant teacher, who was four years her junior, was promoted.

However, the court turned down her appeal and also upheld the single judge order passed earlier noting that the retired teacher taught English and as such the vacancy stood for a teacher of that subject.

The court further observed that the petitioner had not studied English in her BA like her junior who was considered fit for promotion.

HC rules on seniority in promotion of teachers

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