TAT Legal Battle : State Urges High Court to Clear 10,500 Postings, Keep Disputed Seats Vacant

The Gujarat government has made a crucial pitch to the High Court, pleading for permission to immediately proceed with the recruitment of over 10,000 primary school teachers while keeping the contested seats aside. Facing a prolonged legal deadlock over the Teacher Aptitude Test (TAT for recruitment of Vidyasahayak in schools), the state administration argued that the career prospects of thousands of candidates and the operations of state-run schools should not remain stalled by a localised dispute.

During the hearing in the High Court, the government proposed a formula to insulate the wider recruitment drive from the litigation: freeze 500 seats to protect the interests of the petitioners and clear the way to fill the remaining 10,500 vacancies.

State Pleads Against Total Freeze on Recruitment Calendar

The legal battle stems from the TAT examination conducted on 21 January 2015. Hundreds of candidates approached the High Court, claiming that the question paper contained between 1 to 18 erroneous questions, demanding that grace marks be allocated. Because the results dictate the final merit rankings, the dispute effectively froze the state's announced recruitment calendar for 11,000 Vidyahayak positions.

Addressing the bench, the state’s counsel emphasised that a comprehensive calendar had already been finalised. The government pleaded that instead of keeping the entire process in limbo, the court should allow the publication of the provisional merit list and subsequent appointments for the vast majority of the posts.

The administration also raised concerns that if the entire process remains completely paralysed, it could trigger a fresh wave of litigation, prompting thousands of other candidates to rush to court and further disrupt the school deployment schedule.

Candidates Reject Formula over Posting Rights

The petitioners have strongly resisted the state's plea to divide the recruitment process. Presenting a detailed comparative chart to the bench, the candidates argued that simply keeping 500 seats vacant does not resolve the structural issue.

Their primary grievance is that a piecemeal recruitment drive would severely compromise their merit-based choice of station. If the 10,500 seats are filled first, the petitioners argue they will lose the opportunity to secure postings in their preferred districts or schools, effectively penalising them for raising a valid legal challenge regarding the faulty question paper.

High Court Seeks Balance as Deadline Looms

The High Court bench indicated a willingness to find a compromise that protects both the school infrastructure and the litigants. The court questioned the petitioners' absolute opposition to the government's plan, asking whether a strict judicial order forcing the state to reserve 500 seats would suffice to protect their ultimate claims. The bench noted that any final decision on the validity of the test questions would remain legally binding on the administration.

With 11,000 schools awaiting critical teaching staff and candidates divided over the merit list allocation, the High Court has deferred the matter until Wednesday. The upcoming hearing will decide whether the state's plea to unlock the 10,500 appointments is granted or if the deadlock continues.