SSC to seek more time from SC for process; petitions ‘delaying teacher interviews’
Telegraph | 12 December 2025
The school service commission (SSC) will inform the Supreme Court that it cannot complete the ongoing teacher recruitment process by the court-mandated deadline of December 31. A wave of fresh legal challenges has slowed interviews and document verification, making the timeline unattainable, an SSC official said.
Multiple writ petitions challenging recruitment rules are still pending in court. These cases have disrupted the interview schedule for higher secondary posts, where the process remains incomplete. Interviews for the secondary level have not yet begun.
In this situation, the commission plans to appeal for an extension of the deadline.
Anticipating legal impediments, the SSC issued a notice on December 4 announcing that the “fate of the recruitment process” through the State Level Selection Test would depend on the outcome of ongoing writ petitions.
The notice stated: “No participating candidates can claim any right or equity if the result in the selection process is declared prior to passing a final judgment in the writ petitions.”
An SSC official said on Thursday that despite document verification and interviews underway for the recruitment of 23,514 secondary teachers (Classes IX and X) and 12,454 higher secondary teachers (Classes XI and XII), the commission remains uncertain about the eventual outcome.
“So many petitions are being filed despite the apex court’s directive to complete recruitments by December... We have now decided to approach the court for an extension,” the official said, adding that legal preparation and hearings were slowing down their work. “After interviews, we still have counselling to complete.”
On April 3, the Supreme Court cancelled the appointments of 17,209 teachers at the secondary and higher secondary level in government-aided schools, citing irregularities in the 2016 hiring process.
Two weeks later, on April 17, the court instructed the SSC to finish the fresh recruitment drive by December 31.
An education department official said they hope the Supreme Court will take note of the commission’s constraints and consider an extension.
At present, interviews are in progress for teachers for 35 subjects at the higher secondary level. A preliminary list of secondary-level candidates shortlisted for interviews is expected to be published on Friday, after which the SSC will begin interviews for 12 subjects and then hold counselling.
“These are lengthy processes,” a department official said. “Court cases are disrupting the administrative pace.”
Petitions mount
On November 7, Justice Amrita Sinha of Calcutta High Court issued an interim order stating that the fate of tests used to shortlist secondary and higher secondary teacher candidates would depend on the outcome of several petitions.
The petitioners sought clarity on whether an additional 10 marks for in-service teachers — approved earlier by both the high court and the Supreme Court — would be awarded before the interviews or before the merit list is published. They have also challenged the legality of awarding up to 10 extra marks for experience.
Despite the rules being approved in July, new petitions continue to surface, an SSC official said.
On November 18, another petition was filed before Justice Sinha, this time by private school teachers demanding the same 10-mark benefit for their experience.
“Although the recruitment rules clearly state that such relaxation is only for in-service teachers of government-aided or government-sponsored schools, the court accepted the petition,” an SSC official said.
Justice Sinha is also hearing a plea alleging that the SSC’s preliminary interview list for higher secondary appointments contains candidates disqualified earlier by the Supreme Court.