By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Nainital, 18 Sep: The Uttarakhand High Court, while hearing a series of petitions concerning the promotion of LT teachers and lecturers in the state, has directed the government to prepare a promotion list based on seniority and provide it to the petitioners by 22 September. The division bench comprising Chief Justice G Narendar and Justice Subhash Upadhyay also fixed 25 September as the next date of hearing in the case.
It may be recalled that the issue of stalled promotions has been lingering for many years, and the teachers were compelled to resort to an agitation for redressal of their grievances. The government, facing mounting pressure after teachers announced a state-wide protest, sought an urgent hearing before the court.
Yesterday, Advocate General SN Babulkar along with Chief Standing Counsel Chandrashekhar Rawat mentioned the matter before the bench of the Chief Justice, and sought an expedited hearing on the pending petitions. They informed the court that the cases had remained unresolved since 2012 as a result of which promotions and transfers of thousands of teachers had been kept in abeyance. The stalemate has caused considerable unrest among the teaching community, with thousands of aggrieved teachers threatening demonstrations, which, if pursued, could result in closure of schools and disruption of students’ education.
The teachers, while presenting their case, have also strongly opposed the provision of direct recruitment for the post of principal. They contended that such posts should strictly be filled through promotion, given that many of them had been serving for years without being granted their due benefit. They also reminded that despite their long service, the government had not extended this entitlement to them, nor had the matter been duly considered. Many of their colleagues, they pointed out, had already retired and received gratuity and pension without ever being accorded promotions. They pleaded that their claims should be adjudicated in the light of the Bhuwan Chandra Kandpal case, a precedent settled by the Supreme Court, under which promotions had been given by the state government. Among the petitioners in this matter are Trivikram Singh, Laxman Singh Khati and several others, who have sought judicial intervention to secure justice in the long-pending issue.
