M A I N   N E W S

SC clears Haryana Principals' promotion provisionally
Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, March 9
The Supreme Court has made the retrospective promotion of certain Principals of Haryana Government schools subject to the final outcome of a petition by some of their colleagues challenging it on the ground that their seniority had been ignored by the Education Department.

The petitioner Principals, appointed in June 1999, had challenged the grant of seniority to 16 Principals whose appointment was actually made in May 2000.

Though the process for the appointment of 30 Principals was initiated by the Haryana Public Service Commission in 1993, it got into legal wrangle because the commission had issued appointment orders to candidates far excess than actually advertised 18 posts.

Since the appointments of candidates beyond the sanctioned posts were finally cleared by the Supreme Court in December 1999, they were issued letters in May 2000.

But the state government in its June 3, 2004, order provided promotional benefits to those appointed in May 2000 from the back date, which was challenged in the Punjab and Haryana High Court by Principals appointed in 1999.

But the high court dismissed their petition, hence they moved an appeal in the apex court, which issued notice to the Haryana Government seeking its reply.

A Bench, headed by Ms Justice Ruma Pal, while issuing notices, said the promotion of the Principals appointed at a later date, would be subject to the apex court’s final judgement in the case.