SUKHDEV SINGH Vs. STATE OF PUNJAB

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This shall dispose of C.W.P. Nos. 471 of 1993 and 13068 of 1992.

(2.) In these petitions under Articles 226/227 of the Constitution of India, petitioners who are Masters and Mistresses in the various government educational institutions in the State of Punjab, are seeking a writ in the nature of certiorari quashing letter dated 18.3.1992 issued by the Government of Punjab, whereby Government of Punjab has disbanded the Departmental Selection Committee for teaching and non-teaching personnel as well as cancelling the selection of the petitioners to various posts in the District Institutes of Education and Training at various places in the State of Punjab made by the Selection Committee in the year 1989-90.

(3.) Petitioners before joining the District Institute of Education and Training (in short, the DIET) were employed as Masters/Mistresses in the various government educational institutions in the Department of Education in the State of Punjab. After the adoption of the National Policy on Education in 1986, a Centrally sponsored Scheme for Restructuring and Reorganisation of Teacher Education was got implemented by the Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Education, New Delhi. One of its components was establishment of DIETs. Under the said scheme, number of DIETs were started in the entire State of Punjab. The Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource and Development, Department of Education, New Delhi issued guidelines in respect of working of the said DIETs and the same were circulated to all the States and Union Territories in the month of October, 1987. For making recruitment to the five posts of Principals, four posts of Senior Lecturers and 108 posts of Junior Lecturers which were lying vacant in the DIETs at Verka, Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, Ferozepur, Kapurthala, Jagraon, Nabha and Faridkot, various circulars inviting applications for the said posts in the DIETs faculty were issued from time to time asking the desirous candidates to appear before the High Powered Committee headed by the Education Secretary on the dates mentioned in the said circulars along with their respective bio-data in original and attested copies of their respective degrees/certificates/testimonial and experience certificates. In response to these circulars, some of the petitioners applied for the post of Senior Lecturer and some applied for the post of Junior Lecturer. Along with the petitioners, various other Lecturers and Masters/Mistresses working in the Department of Education in the State of Punjab also applied. It has been averred in the petition that there were 600 applicants who applied against these posts. Petitioners were called for interview by the Committee and after selection were appointed against various posts to which each petitioner had applied in the faculty of DIETs at various places. Some of the appointment orders dated 20.11.1989, 7.8.1990, 8.8.1990 and 22.8.1990 issued by the Director of Public Instructions (Schools) Punjab, Chandigarh have been annexed as Annexures P-5 to P-8 to this petition. In the appointment orders, it was made clear to the petitioners that they would initially be appointed in their own pay and grade and would be on deputation till further orders. They were not to be paid any deputation allowance.