RANCHI: The Jharkhand High Court on Tuesday stayed the ongoing process for the appointment of 26,000 assistant teachers in the state. The order was passed by a division bench of Chief Justice Sanjaya Kumar Mishra and Justice Ananda Sen while hearing a petition challenging the 50% reservation given to para-teachers in the recruitment of assistant teachers.
The court has also issued notice to the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), State Education Project Council (JEPC) and the state government to file a reply within four weeks. “Until then the recruitment process has to be put on hold,” said an advocate appearing on behalf of the JSSC, Sanjay Piparwal.
The court was hearing a petition challenging the 50% quota in the recruitment of assistant teachers in the state, Piparwal said. Petitioner Bahadur Mahto said the benefit of 50% reservation was not given to the Block Resource Person (BRP) and Cluster Resource Person (CRP), working on a contract basis in the appointment of assistant teachers under the policy formulated in 2023. However, there was a similar provision in the policy made in 2022. Later, the state government formulated a policy and ended the reservation given to the employees of the education department.
In this revised policy, there is a provision of 50% reservation in the appointment of assistant professors only to the para-teachers. Others working with the education department on a contractual basis do not come under this purview.
Mahto said in the 2023 policy, there is a provision for 50 per cent reservation only for the appointment of Assistant Teachers. There should also be a provision of 50% reservation for other employees working with the education department.
Plea against 50% quota
The court was hearing a petition challenging the 50% quota in the recruitment of assistant teachers. Petitioner Bahadur Mahto said the benefit of 50% quota was not given to Block Resource Person (BRP) and Cluster Resource Person (CRP), on a contract basis in the appointment of assistant teachers under the policy.