Ranchi, July 11: The Jharkhand High Court has directed the state government to grant seniority and related service benefits to teachers whose appointments under the Trained Graduate Teacher (TGT)-21 recruitment were delayed due to administrative and legal reasons, observing that candidates should not suffer because of lapses on the part of the government.
Delivering the order, Justice Deepak Roshan held that delays in the appointment process cannot deprive selected candidates of their rightful career benefits.
The court directed the government to extend notional seniority, upgraded pay scales, annual increments and other consequential service benefits to the affected teachers on par with candidates appointed earlier through the same recruitment process.
The case stemmed from the recruitment process initiated under JSSC’s TGT examination, which was delayed for several years due to disputes over reservation policy, district and state merit lists, and objections related to answer keys and evaluation.
While several candidates joined service earlier, another group received appointment letters only in 2021 after the legal issues were resolved.
The petitioners argued that the delayed appointments, caused entirely by administrative and judicial proceedings, had adversely affected their seniority and financial benefits.
They contended that they should not be placed below candidates selected through the same recruitment process merely because of circumstances beyond their control.
Accepting the contention, the High Court ruled that the state government’s delay should not prejudice the careers of the selected candidates.
It ordered that the affected teachers be treated at par with their batchmates for the purpose of seniority and other service-related benefits.
The court has directed the Jharkhand government to implement the order within 12 weeks.
The judgment is expected to benefit a large number of teachers whose appointments were delayed despite being selected through the same recruitment examination, ensuring that they receive equal service benefits and career progression.
