HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has directed the state government to take a decision, in accordance with law, on the regularisation of services and grant of annual increments to 714 junior lecturers within two months, while also completing the ongoing certificate verification process within the same period.
Justice Kaja Sharath, while disposing of a batch of writ petitions on Monday, declined to issue immediate directions for the release of annual increments or other monetary benefits. Instead, the court directed the Education department to take an appropriate decision on regularisation, declaration of probation, and payment of annual increments after completing certificate verification, in accordance with the applicable laws, service rules, and government orders.
The batch of petitions was led by Bura Vijayamohan, a junior lecturer at the Government Junior College, Atmakur, Hanamkonda district, along with 713 others.
The petitioners contended that although their services were regularised under GO Nos 19, 20, and 21, dated May 1, 2023, the authorities had failed to sanction annual increments or declare their probation, resulting in delays in salary progression, promotions, seniority, and other service benefits.
The counsel for the petitioners argued that withholding annual increments after regularisation was contrary to the Telangana State and Subordinate Service Rules.
They submitted that service benefits should automatically accrue once regularisation is effected and that there is no legal justification for denying increments. The petitioners also alleged discriminatory treatment, arguing that employees performing identical duties could not be treated differently without a valid legal basis.
Opposing the plea, the state government informed the court that the verification of educational qualifications was still in progress. The government submitted that nearly 70% of the regularised lecturers had produced educational certificates issued by institutions outside Telangana, including those in Sikkim, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and other states.
The government explained that officials were personally visiting the educational institutions concerned to verify the authenticity of the certificates by examining the original institutional records.