HC directs fresh appointment of teachers in govt schools

The Delhi High Court today stayed the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board's (DSSSB) notice withdrawing the process of appointment of over 8,914 teachers for the schools run by the AAP government.
Justice A K Chawla asked the authorities to issue a fresh advertisement calling for applications from eligible candidates by December 20 which shall be received latest by December 31.
The court also removed its stay on the process of appointing guest teachers and promoting those appointed since 2010 in Delhi government schools.
Laying down the procedure for fresh appointment of regular teachers, the court said "processing of applications, arrangements for conduct of written test, final selection and drawing up of a panel would be completed by August 31, 2018.

"Panel shall be declared and communicated to the Directorate of Education of GNCT of Delhi by September 15, 2018."
It also directed that after selection of the candidates, posting orders should be communicated to them before October 31 next year.

The court's order came on an NGO's application seeking a stay on the DSSSB order withdrawing a notice on appointment of the teachers in government-run schools here.
The plea by NGO Social Jurist alleged that the Board's notice of August 24 was "illegal and contemptuous in nature".
The Delhi government had introduced the Board with the purpose of recruiting capable, competent and highly-skilled individuals by conducting written tests, professional tests and personal interviews.

The plea was filed in an ongoing contempt petition by the NGO which has alleged deliberate omission in compliance of the court's December 2001 order.
The NGO had submitted that in a 2001 order, the court had directed the DSSSB to ensure zero vacancy of teachers in Delhi government schools on the commencement of each academic year.
"Unfortunately, the directions have never been complied with, resulting in accumulation of vacancies of teaching posts since 2011. No attempt has been made by the DSSSB for last several years to fill up the posts and provide regular teachers," NGO's counsel Ashok Agarwal had argued before the court.

The plea had said that after a high court order of April 11 this year, the DSSSB issued a vacancy notice on August 7 inviting applications from candidates for 8,914 teaching posts in the Directorate of Education of the Delhi government and for 5,906 teaching posts in the three municipal corporation schools here.
It alleged that the DSSSB, without informing or seeking permission from the court, had on August 24 "abruptly withdrawn the advertisement" regarding the vacancies in the Delhi government-run schools.
Agreeing with the NGO's contention, the court put on hold the operation of the August 24 notice of DSSSB and directed it to proceed with the advertising afresh for recruiting teachers to Delhi government schools.