The Madras High Court has strongly criticized the Tamil Nadu government for its continued reliance on guest lecturers to teach arts, science, and technology subjects in government colleges instead of making regular appointments. The court emphasized that teachers are the architects of the nation and play a pivotal role in shaping students' futures.
Court's Observations
A division bench comprising Justice R Suresh Kumar (since retired) and Justice V Lakshminarayanan set aside a 2024 order of a single judge that permitted the regularization of guest lecturers in government and constituent colleges without a competitive selection process. The bench observed that the current situation arose solely due to the state's failure to undertake regular recruitment of assistant professors.
“The present state of affairs has come about only on account of the failure of the State in not going for a regular recruitment of assistant professors. Court’s time is wasted in such litigations,” the bench remarked.
Background of the Case
The bench had reserved orders on February 4 on appeals filed by the state government challenging the single judge’s ruling and delivered its verdict on Wednesday. The court held that guest lecturers appointed in the absence of statutory rules cannot seek regularization as a matter of right without undergoing a proper selection procedure.
Relief for Guest Lecturers
However, in a relief to the guest lecturers, the bench directed the state government to grant them 15 marks as weightage for their teaching experience and provide age relaxation in future recruitment processes. The court noted that although the state government had initially decided in 2020 to regularize guest lecturers through an interview-based selection process, it later changed its policy and opted to fill vacant posts through a competitive written examination conducted by the Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB), making guest lecturers also subject to the same selection procedure.
Legal Challenge
Challenging this change in policy, the guest lecturers approached the high court contending that the government could not alter its stand midway after initiating the regularization process. Accepting their plea, the single judge in 2024 had quashed the government orders relating to recruitment through competitive examinations conducted by the TRB.
Final Verdict
Allowing the government’s appeals against the order, the division bench directed the TRB to proceed with its original plan to fill around 4,000 vacant assistant professor posts in government and constituent colleges through a written competitive examination, while extending certain concessions to guest lecturers.
You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Chennai | Silver Rate in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai | Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Petrol Price in Chennai | Diesel Price in Chennai | CNG Price in Chennai | LPG Price in Chennai
About the Author: Venkadesan S is a Special Correspondent who primarily covers electricity, aviation, the information commission, central investigation agencies, and metro rail.
