GTA: HC directs regularising 35 assistant teacher jobs

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court (Circuit Bench at Jalpaiguri) has directed the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) to regularise the services of 35 ad-hoc assistant teachers in primary schools within eight weeks, provided they were appointed against permanent sanctioned posts

The bench of Justice Arindam Mukherjee gave the judgement. The case involved petitioners, initially contractual teachers since as early as 1998, upgraded to ad hoc roles in vacant posts under the GTA’s Education department.

They sought regularisation under the West Bengal Primary Teachers’ Recruitment Rules, 2016, and the RTE Act, 2009.

A District Inspector’s report confirmed 860 vacant primary teacher posts under the GTA. Earlier, the court had ordered document verification, completed in January 2022, validating the petitioners’ eligibility.

The judgment drew on division bench rulings in two cases which upheld regularisation for non-teaching and teaching staff, respectively, without needing state approval.

The court noted that denying regularisation would breach Article 14’s equality principle. The GTA’s Education Department must verify permanent post vacancies and issue regularisation documents with corresponding pay scales.

The entire exercise of regularisation has to be completed within eight weeks.