Bombay High Court: Sudhagad Education Society's Teacher Hiring Bypassed Official Portal

Quick Summary: The Sudhagad Education Society was involved in a legal case about how they hired teachers. The court decided against them because they did not use the official Pavitra Portal, which is a system to make sure teacher hiring is fair.

The Petitioners' Claims

The Sudhagad Education Society and three teachers—Ratna Ramesh Salunke, Sanjivani Shailesh Patil, and Suraj Krushna Mendan—filed a complaint. They were upset because the state did not approve their jobs as Shikshan Sevaks (a type of beginner teacher). They said they had to hire directly because the Pavitra Portal, the system for hiring teachers, was not working.

"The Pavitra Portal was not working," they claimed.

Education Department's Stand

The Education Department responded that the Pavitra Portal was working and that the Sudhagad Education Society had a Login ID. They said the Society ignored the correct process and made false claims.

The department stressed the importance of using the Pavitra Portal to ensure fair hiring and proper use of taxpayer money for teacher salaries.

Court's Observations

The court, led by Judges Ravindra V. Ghuge and Ashwin D. Bhobe, found that the Pavitra Portal was working and the Sudhagad Education Society had misled the court. They noted that the Society had never used the Portal for hiring in the past eight years.

"The Society has not hired a single employee by following the Pavitra Portal system," the court noted.

Advertisement Issues

The court found several problems with the job advertisements: - Ads were not published in popular newspapers. - They did not follow rules about job reservations. - The ads were misleading and did not match the requirements for Shikshan Sevak jobs.

Court's Decision

The court rejected the complaints and emphasized the need to strictly follow the Pavitra Portal system. They told the state to make sure all schools use the Portal for hiring.

Future Steps

The court ordered the creation of a group to check schools and ensure they follow hiring rules. They stressed the importance of being open and fair in hiring practices to keep public jobs honest.

"The State must ensure that the Pavitra Portal Recruitment System is working for all schools."

The court's decision highlighted the importance of following established hiring procedures to ensure fair and transparent hiring in schools.