HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has issued an interim order directing the State government not to finalise the seniority list of Post Graduate Teachers (PGTs) based on a faulty provisional seniority list dated August 29, 2022.
G Narsimha Reddy and 38 other PGTs who work in Telangana State Model Schools have filed a writ petition in the Telangana High Court, upset over the Telangana Government’s decision to prepare a seniority list of PGTs based on the date of joining rather than a merit list as required by the Supreme Court.
Counsel for the petitioners informed the Court that both the State Governments, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, have failed to prepare the common merit list as per the Apex Court’s directions, by taking undue advantage of the state’s bifurcation under the AP Re-organisation Act 2014, and have failed to prepare the seniority list in accordance with the merit obtained in the selection process in accordance with Rule 33-b of the AP/Telangana State and Subordinate Service Rules.
According to the counsel, the State Government resorted to preparing seniority based on the date of joining of the incumbents. The State’s action is arbitrary, illegal, and unjust, and it violates Articles 14, 16, and 21 of the Indian Constitution, as well as the Apex Court’s decision.
The counsel urged the Court to direct the Principal Secretary, Education Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh, and the Commissioner and Director of School Education, AP to prepare a common merit list in accordance with the Apex Court’s judgment, regardless of the medium of instructions, and to further direct all respondents to prepare a seniority list of Post Graduate teachers 10 subjects based on the merit obtained in the selection process pursuant to the notifiable instructions. A division bench of the High Court comprising Justice P Naveen Rao and Justice J Srinivas Rao adjourned further hearing in the case to an unspecified date after four weeks.