Chandigarh: The HC Gives Big Relief to Guest Teachers verdict has brought major relief to hundreds of guest faculty teachers and lecturers working in government schools across Haryana for nearly two decades.
The landmark judgment came from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, where a bench led by Justice Sandeep Moudgil directed the Haryana government to regularise the services of eligible petitioners under the 2014 regularisation policy.
The court also ordered the state government to provide all service-related and retirement benefits to the affected teachers.
Teachers Worked in Schools for Nearly 20 Years
The HC Gives Big Relief to Guest Teachers case originated from a petition filed by Sukhwinder Singh and several other guest teachers. The petitioners informed the court that authorities appointed them during 2005-06 against vacant posts in government schools.
According to the teachers, officials completed the recruitment process through advertisements, application scrutiny, merit lists, and selection committees.
Therefore, the petitioners argued that they fully qualified for regularisation under the Haryana government’s 2014 policy.
High Court Rejects State Government’s Stand
The Haryana government claimed that authorities hired the teachers only on a temporary basis and not through regular recruitment procedures. Because of this, the state argued that the petitioners could not seek permanent jobs.
However, the High Court rejected the argument in the HC Gives Big Relief to Guest Teachers judgment. The bench observed that accepting the government’s position would defeat the purpose of the regularisation policy itself. Moreover, the court clarified that officials did not recruit the teachers through any secret or illegal “backdoor entry” method.
Instead, authorities selected qualified candidates through a public and transparent process.
Court Highlights Importance of Teachers
The High Court also criticized the state for using the services of teachers for nearly 20 years while continuing to call them temporary employees.
The HC Gives Big Relief to Guest Teachers ruling emphasized that teachers form the foundation of society and nation-building. The court stated that authorities cannot treat educators as disposable workers after taking long years of service from them.
Additionally, the bench noted that the government itself admitted schools faced severe teacher shortages when authorities appointed the petitioners.
Therefore, the court said the state could not now describe their appointments as merely stop-gap arrangements.
Supreme Court Ruling Strengthened Case
During the hearing, the High Court referred to the Supreme Court judgment in the “Madan Singh vs State of Haryana” case. The Supreme Court had already upheld the legality of Haryana’s 2014 regularisation policy. As a result, the bench stated that no further dispute remained regarding the policy’s validity. The court also confirmed that the petitioners fulfilled all required conditions under the regularisation policy.
Government Ordered to Act Within Two Months
In its final order, the High Court directed the Haryana government to regularise the services of the petitioners within two months. Furthermore, authorities must provide all consequential service and retirement benefits. The HC Gives Big Relief to Guest Teachers decision has generated positive reactions among teachers’ unions and education groups across Haryana.
Many educators described the judgment as a historic victory for thousands of contractual teachers.
Key Points of the news:
- Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered regularisation of guest teachers in Haryana.
- The court directed the government to provide retirement and service benefits.
- Teachers had worked in government schools for nearly 20 years.
- The High Court rejected the state’s argument against regularisation.
- The judgment relied on a Supreme Court ruling supporting the 2014 policy.
