Uttar Pradesh: CM Yogi Adityanath Faces Criticism As Allahabad High Court Orders Fresh List For 69,000 Teacher Recruitment

Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has found himself under significant pressure following an Allahabad High Court order directing the Uttar Pradesh government to release the list of 69,000 primary teachers.

The court's decision has intensified the scrutiny on his administration, with his political rival, Deputy CM Keshav Maurya, welcoming the ruling and asserting that justice will finally be served to the backward and Dalit communities.

Deputy CM Keshav Maurya, who has previously been vocal in his criticism of the government's handling of the recruitment process, reiterated his stance, describing the High Court's decision as a positive step towards social justice.

"This is a victory for the eligible candidates from the backward and Dalit communities who fought a long battle for their rights," Maurya stated, highlighting the prolonged struggle faced by these marginalized groups in securing their rightful place in the recruitment process.

The controversy surrounding the recruitment process has also drawn criticism from other political leaders. Akhilesh Yadav, former Chief Minister and leader of the Samajwadi Party, echoed Maurya's sentiments, arguing that the state's education system has been disrupted under BJP rule.

Adding to the chorus of support for the High Court's decision, Union Minister Anupriya Patel remarked, "What the court has said is something I have always maintained. I now hope that justice will be served to the deprived communities."

Court order:

The Allahabad High Court's Lucknow Bench has ordered the Uttar Pradesh government to release a fresh list of selected candidates for the 69,000 assistant teacher recruitment conducted in 2019. The court's decision has set aside the selection lists issued on June 1, 2020, and January 5, 2022, and directed the state to prepare a new list within three months in accordance with the rules.

A bench comprising Justice A.R. Masoodi and Justice Brijraj Singh delivered the judgment while hearing 90 special appeals filed by Ashok Yadav and other candidates. These appeals challenged the decision of a single-judge bench dated March 13, 2023, regarding the improper implementation of reservation quotas. The bench had reserved its decision after concluding hearings in March, with the final verdict being pronounced last Tuesday and uploaded to the High Court's website on Friday.

Adhere to Reservation Policy

The court directed that the new selection list should follow the reservation policy under the 1981 Rules and the 1994 Reservation Act. If a candidate from a reserved category scores equal to or higher than the cutoff for the general category, they should be placed in the general category. The court also instructed that if any currently employed candidate is affected by the revised list, the state government or the competent authority should ensure that they are compensated until the end of the academic session to minimize disruption for students.

The petitioners’ counsel argued that the reservation rules had not been correctly followed during the 69,000 assistant teacher recruitment process. As a result, 18,988 candidates from the reserved category who scored above 65 percent were not included in the general category list but were instead appointed under the reserved category, which violated reservation rules.

This led to the exclusion of other reserved category candidates, prompting several to file petitions in the High Court. Some petitions challenged the selection list on the grounds that reserved category candidates who had met the general category cutoff were still placed in the reserved category.

The court modified the single-judge bench's order and instructions in line with these directives. The case had brought to light issues concerning reservation discrepancies in the recruitment of 69,000 primary assistant teachers.

The single-judge bench had previously directed the state to revise the selection list within three months from June 1, 2020. The court had also quashed the selection list of 6,800 additional candidates issued on January 5, 2022, arguing that it had been released without proper advertisement.

Conversely, other petitions, filed by general category candidates, argued that it was unlawful to place reserved category candidates in the general category after they had already availed of reservation benefits in the TET and assistant teacher recruitment exams. Two of these petitions specifically challenged the January 5, 2022, selection list of 6,800 reserved category candidates.