HC: Maintain status quo on teachers’ promotions

 HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Hyderabad High Court on Friday directed the AP government to maintain status quo with regard to the proposed teachers’ promotions based on the “Presidential Order” dated June 23, 2017, whereunder the services of the teachers working in local bodies are integrated with the teachers working in government schools (giving nod for unified service rules for teachers of all public institutions).The bench of Justice C V Nagarjuna Reddy and Justice K Vijaya Lakshmi was passing this order in a petition filed by ARKD Tulasi Das, teacher of a government school at Rajahmundry, challenging the validity of the integrated services for teachers and the order of the AP administrative tribunal refusing to grant interim relief.

Senior counsel S Ramachandra Rao, appearing for the petitioner, pointed out that these integrated service rules, through the Presidential Order, was in violation of Article 371-D of the Constitution and liable to be struck down. The President can only direct the state government to issue such rules. 
In fact, the teachers working in schools run by the local bodies were not holding any ‘civil post’, hence these rules would not be applicable to them. 

He brought to the notice of the court that another bench of the court had recently granted interim stay orders when a similar case was filed by the government teachers of Telangana. On the other hand, AP counsel D Ramesh submitted that the government has implemented the guidelines of unified service rules based on Presidential Order.