Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The principal bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur has directed the state government to ensure that teachers of schools of the state education department are posted as per their choice by October 21, 2023.

The direction was made by the double bench of Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf who were hearing the petitions filed challenging the decisions of the School Education Department and Directorate of Public Instructions (DPI) regarding the posting of teachers to disadvantaged positions, after converting them from reserved category to unreserved category.

The petitioners have claimed that around 2500-3000 teachers have been posted in the schools of tribal department 300kms-800km away from their hometown against their choice.

Postings were  finalized in a joint counseling with the state education department in 2023. Petitioners had stated that the DPI commissioner neither gave them the priority to choose nor the reservation rules for their postings.

Advocate Rameshwar Sharma, who appeared on behalf of petitioners,  said, “Petitioners never filled a choice for tribal department’s schools while despite low scoring, many candidates were posted at place of their choice and petitioners have been posted at  disadvantage positions 300km to 800kms away from home town.”

The court dismissed the government’s argument that the petition, which challenged policy and sanctity of law, is not mandatory to make possible affected persons party in the petition.