Final seniority list out: Promoted reserved category teachers to be reverted

Aparna Banerji  

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, November 21 

As many as 150 to 200 reserved category teachers and promotees are set to lose their seniority following the recent list released by the government last evening. 

Embattled with the education department over the seniority lists for over a month, the state government’s final seniority list of lecturers released last evening has evinced a strong response from both the general and reserved category teachers.

Director (S), Education, Balbir Sigh Dhol released a letter regarding this to teachers across the state.  

Angst ridden over the final list, the over 1,000 reserved category teachers have decided to gherao Jail Minister, Punjab, Sohan Singh Thandal at his residence at Mahalpur on November 22.

Notably, the final seniority list has brought a huge sigh of relief to the general category teachers while causing the reserved category teachers to lose their seniority. While the prime grouse of general category teachers was that they had been waiting for the past 15 to 20 years for promotions, reserved category teachers had got meaty promotions based on reserved quota. 

The the final lists will reverse these dynamics where now general category teachers shall be promoted on priority basis and reserved category teachers shall be set back by thousands of ranks on seniority lists. 

While the final list has upheld the 10/10/2014 letter issued last year on the seniority issue – as was the demand of general category teachers – the decision has not gone down well with the reserved category teachers.

Harbans Lal, member of the state committee of the DC/BC Teachers Union, said, “Hundreds of promoted teachers shall now have to be reverted. While the government’s letter mentions the RL Bhagat judgment and the seniority list issued during DGSE Krishan Kumar’s time, it hasn’t really paid heed to it. It is worse than the tentative lists released earlier this year. We plan to gherao the minister tomorrow and if the government refuses to pay heed, we shall also go to court against it.”

While general category teachers had altogether been demanding that Janjua case, which has the Supreme Court’s ruling in the issue, should be the basis of the ruling, the reserved category lecturers had been demanding that the 7/3/2011 ruling based on the RL Bhagat case be taken as a premise for the lists.

The General Categories Welfare Federation, in turn, hailed the decision and demanded quick implementation of promotions as per the lists while thanking the state government.

Daljit Singh, state president of the General Category and BC Welfare Federation, Punjab, said, “We are very happy. The decision was much awaited. As many as 80 per cent lecturers in the schools belong to the general category. General teachers used to retire from jobs without a promotion and even junior reserved category teachers swiftly climbed the promotion ladders. Now, things have been set straight. Now, those awaiting promotions for the past 15 to 20 years will be the first on the state government’s priority list.”

Reacting to the angst of the general teachers, he said, “Our union will take counter action to whatever the reserved category teachers do.”

Flashback 

The seniority list of the lecturer cadre was released on 7-3-2011, which had been challenged by a civil writ petition, which claimed that the seniority list should be determined as per the Supreme Court’s decision in the Ajit Singh Janjua case. An HC decision of May 27, 2015 recommended the review of both the March 7, 2011 decision and the government instructions of October 10, 2014, on the issue of seniority lists. On September 11, 2015, tentative seniority lists were released on the education department website in obedience of the May 27 2015 decision and objections to the same were sought.

The final lists released last evening has been based on these objections. Punjab Civil Services Rules 1994, Punjab State Eucation Class- 3 (school cadre) services rules, 1978, as well as the ruling in the RL Bhagat vs State of Punjab, Prithpal Singh vs State of Punjab, Hari Singh vs State of Punjab and Ajit Singh Janjua case among other cases and rules, have served as a basis for the decision.