SLST Case Update: Big News from Supreme Court for SLST Job Aspirants! Final Decision on 10 Marks for Experience Today?

SLST Case Update: Today, the eyes of thousands of teacher aspirants in West Bengal are fixed on the country’s apex court. A crucial hearing regarding the allocation of 10 marks for experience in the SLST (State Level Selection Test) recruitment process is scheduled to take place in the Supreme Court today. The future course of the recruitment process will largely be determined by the outcome of this case. The core issue to be adjudicated today is when and how the 10 marks designated for experienced teachers should be added.

Case Details and Today’s Hearing Schedule

The high-profile case is listed for hearing today before the bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice Alok Aradhe. Since the case is listed towards the end of the list, it is anticipated that the hearing might commence after the lunch break. The detailed information regarding the case is presented below:

Core Issues and Controversy of the Case

The focal point of this case revolves around the distribution policy of the 10 marks allocated for experience in the SLST recruitment process. The questions being raised strongly in court today are:

• Timing of Adding Marks: Will these 10 marks for experience be added to the written exam scores before the preparation of the merit list, or at a later stage?
• Freshers vs. Experienced: Is the rule of awarding these 10 marks beforehand to experienced teachers valid? Or are fresh candidates (Freshers) being unfairly eliminated from the competition as a result?
• Alongside the petitioners, officials from the School Education Department and the School Service Commission (SSC) are present as respondents in the case.

Judicial Observation and Administrative Jurisdiction

In previous hearings, Justice Sanjay Kumar had given some significant indications. According to the court’s observation:

• The court views the recruitment of experienced teachers and awarding marks in recognition of their work experience as a positive or “good step.”
• According to the judges, the rules framed by the SSC are entirely administrative and policy matters.
• Courts generally do not wish to interfere with administrative rules made by the state or the recruiting body. Since the examination process has already been completed under the old rules, the court seems reluctant to introduce any major changes to those rules at this stage.

Question of Constitutional Violation and Equal Rights

The petitioners have alleged that the current rule violates the right to equality enshrined in the Indian Constitution. Their arguments are quite strong:

• Allegation of Discrimination: Many new candidates are not getting calls for interviews or verification even after securing full marks (70 out of 70) in the written exam and academic scores. This is because experienced candidates are moving ahead in the list due to the addition of 10 marks beforehand.
• Unequal Competition: Experienced candidates are surpassing freshers solely on the benefit of these 10 marks, even if they have secured lower marks in the written examination.
• Constitutional Rights: It is claimed that giving an early advantage to a specific group without providing a level playing field for all in a public recruitment process amounts to a violation of the Constitution.

Today’s hearing will clarify when these 10 marks will finally be awarded or if there will be any change in this process at all. Analyzing the previous stance of the court, the judges’ reluctance to change old rules might not be very encouraging news for fresher candidates. However, thousands of job aspirants are waiting for the final verdict of the Supreme Court today.