The Jharkhand High Court on Monday stayed the operation of a single-judge bench’s order that had directed the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) to consider candidates holding a two-year B.Ed degree for appointment as assistant teachers in government schools.
A division bench passed the interim order while hearing an appeal filed by the JSSC challenging the July 14 decision of Justice Deepak Roshan. The commission argued that the single-judge order was contrary to the recruitment norms and should not be allowed to be implemented.
The court directed candidates possessing a two-year B.Ed degree to file a specific affidavit indicating when they had applied to appear in the assistant teacher recruitment examinations.
In 2023, the JSSC issued advertisements for the recruitment of assistant teachers in mathematics and science for Classes 6 to 8 in government schools. In January 2024, the advertisement was amended to specify that only candidates with a one-year B.Ed degree would be eligible to apply.
This amendment effectively disqualified candidates with a two-year B.Ed degree, who subsequently approached the High Court through a writ petition led by petitioner Viplav Dutt and others.
The petitioners argued that their candidature had been rejected solely because of the duration of their B.Ed course, despite their qualifications being valid.
Justice Deepak Roshan, while disposing of the writ petitions earlier, held that candidates with a two-year B.Ed qualification should also be treated as eligible for consideration to the assistant teacher posts.
With the division bench’s stay, the single-judge order will remain in abeyance until further orders. The matter is likely to be taken up for detailed hearing after the affidavits are filed by the candidates concerned.
