The High Court on Monday adjourned to July 17 a batch of writ petitions filed by government school teachers who challenged Government Order No. 5, relating to rules governing transfers of teachers.
Additional Advocate General J. Ramchander Rao told a bench of Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N. Tukaramji hearing the pleas that work in Education Department got paralysed following the orders issued by the HC staying transfer of government school teachers. While the GO No. 5 was issued on January 25, the HC passed interim direction staying its implementation on March 7 after a batch of writ petitions were filed.
The AAG said the government planned transfers of teachers following requests from the latter and brought the GO in consultation with teacher unions. During the previous hearing, the government counsel wanted an early adjudication of the batch of petitions stating that teachers’ services would be required in conducting the Assembly elections.
When the hearing began, the bench sough to know why the State government decided to undertake transfers of teachers en-mass when they were vehemently opposing it. “Teachers are not like other employees ... we had seen them serving same school for 30-35 years,” the CJ observed.
During such long tenures, teachers would develop a rapport with the students. “Why would the government want to affect transfers?”, the bench sought to know. The AAG explained that the stay orders was coming in the way of functioning of the Education Department.
