The Telangana High Court has dismissed several petitions challenging the reservation of 30 percent of Secondary Grade Teacher (SGT) posts for candidates holding a Diploma in Education (DEd) qualification. This ruling brings an end to a 17-year-long dispute concerning District Selection Committee (DSC) recruitment.
A division bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice P. Sam Koshy and Justice Suddala Chalapathi Rao, delivered the verdict. The court determined that the government's decision to set aside 30 percent of SGT vacancies for DEd-qualified candidates was not an impermissible alteration to recruitment rules during the selection process.
Petitioners in the case had argued that they possessed a Bachelor of Education (BEd) qualification. They contended that the reservation represented an unfair change to the selection criteria mid-way through the process.
The High Court clarified that the government's move to reserve these positions for DEd candidates did not constitute an unacceptable modification of the recruitment rules during the ongoing selection.
The government had initially issued a notification on December 6, 2008, for a total of 52,655 posts across the undivided state. These included various categories such as school assistants, secondary grade teachers, language pandits, and physical education teachers.
This judgment confirms the 30 percent reservation for DEd candidates in SGT posts, concluding the protracted legal battle.