CHENNAI: Taking a dig at the state government for filing an appeal against a single judge’s order for approving the appointment of a secondary grade teacher to a minority aided school, the Madras High Court has imposed costs of `1 lakh on the government.
A division bench of justices R Subramanian and K Surendar noted the court, in two division bench judgments, held that the 2011 G.O. (Ms No 181), which makes the teacher eligibility test (TET) mandatory for primary school teachers, will not apply to minority institutions; yet the government has preferred to file the appeal.
It remarked, “Even after the writ court (single judge) decided in favour of the school, the state has decided to pursue an appeal against the order on an issue which is covered by two division bench judgments.”
Dismissing the appeal with costs of Rs 1 lakh, the bench directed the state to pay the amount to the school within four weeks and recover the amount from the director of school education.
The matter pertains to the appointment of MK Hajira as secondary grade teacher in Madrasa-E-Azam Government Aided Primary School, Vaniyambadi, in 2022. Though a proposal was sent to the department for approval, it was returned on the grounds that there were surplus teachers in the district. Subsequently, a petition was filed in the high court and a single judge directed the department to consider the proposal on merits.
However, the director rejected the proposal by an order dated November 21, 2023 on the grounds of the teacher not clearing the TET. In another writ petition against the order, a single judge ordered in favour of the school holding that the G.O. making TET mandatory will not apply to the minority institutions. The appeal was filed against this order.