Tripura High Court directs immediate recruitment for 1,116 vacant PGT posts and asks the government to decide on filling 2,193 GT vacancies, citing the urgent need for teachers and warning that prolonged vacancies could adversely affect students and education.
The Tripura High Court has directed the state government to immediately commence the recruitment process for 1,116 vacant Postgraduate Teacher (PGT) posts and asked the authorities to take a decision on filling 2,193 vacant Graduate Teacher (GT) posts, observing that the shortage of teachers could adversely affect students and the functioning of educational institutions.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao and Justice Biswajit Palit issued the directions while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning vacancies in the education sector. The court passed the order after examining an additional affidavit submitted by the Under Secretary to the Government of Tripura in the School Education Department.
During the hearing, the court noted that 1,116 PGT posts had become vacant following the death, retirement, resignation and termination of services of incumbent teachers. The bench questioned the department’s decision to undertake a separate process for re-creating the vacant posts before initiating recruitment.
The court observed that it failed to understand why teaching posts should lapse merely because an incumbent had retired, resigned, died or had their services terminated. It also questioned the necessity of re-creating posts that had already existed.
“We fail to understand how the posts can lapse merely on account of retirement, resignation, death or termination of the services of the incumbent, and why there is a requirement to again re-create those posts,” the bench observed.
Describing the exercise of re-creating the posts as wholly unnecessary, the High Court directed the state government to commence the recruitment process for all 1,116 vacant PGT posts forthwith. The direction is significant as the vacancies have accumulated due to various reasons, leaving educational institutions without the required number of teachers.
The court also examined the situation concerning Graduate Teacher vacancies. According to the affidavit placed before the bench, the School Education Department had requisitioned the Teachers’ Recruitment Board, Tripura, on July 5, 2022, seeking recommendations for only 230 eligible candidates. However, the court noted that as many as 2,193 GT posts had become vacant due to retirement, resignation, death or termination of services.
The bench questioned why the authorities had sought to fill only 230 posts when the number of vacancies stood at 2,193. The court stressed that the government had a responsibility to fill all available vacant teaching posts rather than limiting recruitment to a small portion of the total vacancies.
“It is the duty of the respondents to fill up all those posts and not just a miniscule 230 vacant posts out of them,” the order stated.
The High Court also took note of a pending Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court concerning the application of reservation rules in the recruitment against the 230 vacancies. The SLP relates to a challenge against a December 19, 2022 direction issued by the High Court in WP(C) No. 736 of 2022.
However, the bench observed that the respondents had not stated that the Supreme Court had granted any stay preventing the filling of the posts while the SLP remained pending. Considering the importance of teachers for students and noting that the academic year had already advanced substantially, the High Court directed the authorities to take a decision by the next date of hearing on appointing candidates against the Graduate Teacher vacancies.
The court made it clear that such appointments would remain subject to the outcome of the pending SLP before the Supreme Court.
The bench further considered another set of 700 newly created Graduate Teacher posts. The School Education Department had created these posts and requisitioned the Teachers’ Recruitment Board on August 5, 2025. The Board subsequently conducted a selection test for the posts on February 14, 2026. However, the court noted that no further action had been taken after the examination.
Taking note of the delay, the High Court suo motu impleaded the Chairman of the Teachers’ Recruitment Board, Tripura, as respondent No. 5 in the proceedings. The bench directed the Board to complete the process for filling the 700 newly created GT posts at the earliest.
The Teachers’ Recruitment Board was also directed to file an affidavit before the court detailing the steps taken to complete the recruitment process.
Apart from PGT and GT vacancies, the High Court examined vacant administrative teaching positions in schools. The court noted that 162 Headmaster and 100 Assistant Headmaster posts were vacant in higher secondary schools. In addition, 304 Headmaster posts were lying vacant in high schools.
The bench directed the concerned authorities to fill all the vacant Headmaster and Assistant Headmaster posts in accordance with the applicable recruitment rules. The respondents were also instructed to submit an affidavit detailing the action taken to address these vacancies.
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The High Court’s directions underline the need for timely recruitment in the state education system, particularly when large numbers of teaching posts remain vacant for extended periods. The bench emphasised the impact that teacher shortages can have on students as the academic year progresses.
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The matter has been listed for further hearing on September 21, when the court is expected to review the steps taken by the state government and the Teachers’ Recruitment Board in compliance with its directions.
