Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal filed by Shilpa Gupta, Commissioner of Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI), against the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s order issuing a bailable arrest warrant for non-compliance with directions regarding the posting of primary school teachers.
To avoid execution of the warrant and ahead of the contempt hearing scheduled for March 24, 2025, Shilpa Gupta had approached the Supreme Court. However, a division bench comprising Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice K. Vinod Chandran dismissed her appeal.
According to senior advocate Rameshwar Thakur, appointments of primary school teachers made between 2023 and August 10, 2024, by the DPI and the Tribal Affairs Department were marred by irregularities.
Meritorious reserved category candidates were not posted under the unreserved category at their preferred locations. Instead, they were assigned to schools run by the Tribal Affairs Department, often hundreds of kilometres away, while candidates with lower scores secured postings in their home districts through the DPI. This discrepancy was first challenged in the High Court.
The High Court had directed the DPI Commissioner on October 23, 2024, to ensure that within 30 days, petitioners be posted in DPI-run schools as per their preference. If vacancies were unavailable at the chosen schools, candidates were to be posted in any school within their preferred district.
Despite the clear directive, Shilpa Gupta failed to implement the court order even after three months. This led to multiple contempt petitions being filed against her. Despite being served notices, she did not submit any compliance report, prompting further legal action.
