UP 69,000 Assistant Teacher Recruitment: Supreme Court May Use Article 142 to Resolve Dispute

Meanwhile, the lawyer representing the reserved category candidates told the court that they had stated at the previous hearing and continued to state that the case should be settled by accommodating them in the jobs provided by the state government, as long as the state government has vacancies.

He cited the details provided in the written arguments filed by the Uttar Pradesh government and the data presented at previous hearings. The other side also presented some arguments. After this, the court directed both parties to submit their submissions. If they reach a consensus, the court will use its special powers under Article 142 to resolve the matter next Tuesday.

The court also stated that if both parties, the plaintiff and defendant, do not reach a consensus, the court will hear the case on its merits.

In this case, candidates from the unreserved category have challenged the August 13, 2024, order of the Allahabad High Court's division bench. The bench had annulled the selection list and ordered the Uttar Pradesh government to prepare a selection list within three months, adhering to reservation rules.

Unreserved category candidates who had already joined the job have challenged this order in the Supreme Court, as the division bench's order threatened their jobs. The Supreme Court stayed the High Court's order during the initial hearing.

For the past two hearings, the court has been considering the issue of whether the case will be resolved if reserved category candidates are absorbed without removing those already in employment.

The court had questioned the state government on this matter, and the state government filed an affidavit stating that it could absorb 9,000 more people. However, the issue remains concerning the approximately 5,000 people who were offered positions at the time of the initial appointment but did not join.

In such a situation, the reserved category and even the court questioned the re-offering of jobs to those 5,000 people. At that time, Uttar Pradesh stated that they were high on merit, but would not hire them if the court dictated otherwise.