Will fill teacher’s posts: State to HC

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 23

The Punjab Government today assured the Punjab and Haryana High Court that appointment against all vacant posts of ETT teacher would be made after marathon counselling sessions today and tomorrow.

The assurance came during the resumed hearing of the teachers-atop-towers case. The state counsel also told the Bench that Deepak Kumar, atop a mobile tower, too, would be given appointment, subject to verification of documents and his appearance in the counselling session.

Taking up the matter, the Bench expressed its disapproval of the protesters’ conduct and permitted advocates HC Arora, Tanu Bedi and Jagmohan Bhatti to file a joint PIL on the issue of framing guidelines for preventing such incidents in the future. The Bench also appreciated the role and assistance of amicus curie or the friend of the court Tanu Bedi, the advocates and the government counsel appearing in the case.

Taking notice of news reports carried on the issue, Justice Daya Chaudhary of the High Court had earlier addressed a communication to Chief Justice Shiavax Jal Vazifdar.

After going through the note, Chief Justice Vazifdar had directed that the matter be treated as a petition filed in public interest. It was as such placed before the PIL Bench of Justice SS Saron and Justice Lisa Gill.

Taking up the issue, the Bench had asked the authorities concerned in the UT Administration whether some mechanism had been put in place to deal with the situation. In response, the Bench was informed of the instructions issued by the authority concerned on the deployment of security guards at the towers.

During the course of the hearing, the Bench was also told that the problem in Punjab was no different with protesters scaling mobile towers to be heard. The Bench was told that there were more posts than eligible candidates. Yet, the posts were lying vacant. The developments took place at a time when protest to seek jobs by climbing towers has been slowly intensifying with more teachers scaling towers. Earlier on November 3, two unemployed ETT teachers had climbed a mobile tower carrying a bottle of petrol and threatened to immolate themselves. On November 17, three more teachers, including two women, climbed another tower installed on the backyard of a house in Sector 3.