Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh
Punjab and Haryana High Court has provided significant relief to contractual Assistant Professors working in aided private colleges across Punjab, paving the way for the regularisation of teachers who have completed 10 years of service.
The court has directed the managements of the concerned colleges to consider the regularisation claims of eligible teachers and extend the benefit to those fulfilling the prescribed criteria.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Harsimran Singh Sethi and Justice Minderjeet Yadav passed the order while hearing a batch of petitions filed by Assistant Professors appointed in various aided private colleges in Punjab.
The petitioners were appointed from 2015 onwards following a state government notification dated October 16, 2014, under which the government had decided to fill 1,925 teaching posts in three phases.
However, the appointments were initially made on a contractual basis for a period of three years. The teachers were offered a consolidated monthly salary of Rs 21,600, comprising Rs 15,600 as basic pay and Rs 6,000 as grade pay.
Before the High Court, the petitioners argued that since they had been appointed against duly sanctioned regular posts through a selection process similar to regular recruitment, they were entitled to regular pay scales and the status of regular employees.
The High Court, however, observed that the contractual conditions were clearly mentioned in the recruitment advertisements and appointment orders. The candidates had participated in the selection process and accepted the appointments without raising objections to these conditions.
Consequently, the court held that their demand for regular pay scales retrospectively from the beginning of their service could not be accepted. The Bench also took into consideration the financial position of the state government and the policy prevailing at the time of their appointments.
The significant aspect of the ruling is that the court has opened the way for regularisation of eligible teachers who have completed 10 years of service, directing the concerned college managements to examine their claims.
The Bench also referred to its September 1, 2026, judgment in the Nishi case concerning Punjabi University while dealing with the issue of regularisation.
The ruling is significant for Assistant Professors who have continued working on a contractual basis for years despite being appointed through a formal selection process in aided private colleges across Punjab.
