Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The principal bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur declared the move of Directorate of Public Instructions (DPI) unconstitutional and issued an order directing that the petitioners (the meritorious teachers from reserved categories) be transferred from the tribal affairs department to the school education department within 30 days and offer postings in schools within districts of their preference.
The DPI had issued posting orders on June 12, 2025, for fresh appointments, which were made on a 70% pay scale basis, subject to a three-year probationary period. The petitioners challenged all the appointments issued by the DPI in the High Court.
The HC division bench comprising Justice Vivek Agarwal and Justice Vivek Jain, in a recent order, directed the DPI to recognise that the petitioners are entitled to appointment on a 100% pay scale by aggregating their entire period of service rendered in the tribal affairs department.
Senior advocate Rameshwar Singh Thakur who appeared on behalf of petitioners, said, As a result of a joint counselling session conducted by DPI for schools under state school education department and the tribal affairs department, reservation rules were disregarded during the appointment of primary teachers.
Consequently, meritorious candidates from reserved categories (OBC/SC/ST and EWS) were denied postings in schools of their choice. Instead, they were posted at schools under the tribal affairs department located up to 900 kilometres away from their residences, whereas candidates from reserved categories with lower merit scores were granted postings in schools within their home districts.
