Chhattisgarh High Court upholds rationalisation policy, dismisses all teachers’ petitions

The Chhattisgarh High Court has upheld the circular reasoning of the government regarding the teacher rationalisation and has rejected over 24 petitions filed by teachers and Chhattisgarh School Teachers Employees Association challenging the same.

While delivering the rulings, Justice Bibhu Datta Guru held that the policy seeks to redress the irrational and unequal distribution of teachers in government schools; and that “the overall impact of the policy is to favour public interest”.

The shortage of teachers in rural, remote and single teacher schools was the result of the state government’s rationalisation process. The exercise led to a reassignment of 16,165 teachers and principals, whereas a policy applied to 10,463 schools. Of these, 10297 schools were operating in the same facility, and these schools were reorganised.

Now, petitioners had taken out their challenge against the transfers and redistribution of teachers with the High Court.

Upon hearing both sides, the court noted that transfers, and postings, were within the purview of administration grants to the government. It also said that there is no constitutional or statutory rights for any government employee to be posted at a specific location for an endless period of time.

On the basis of these highlighted facts the High Court struck down all these petitions, providing a significant legal support for the School rationalisation initiative of the Chhattisgarh government.