HC pulls up Telangana over Hindi Pandit delay

A two-judge bench of the Telangana High Court came down heavily on the State Government for its failure to comply with directions issued over four years ago to consider the claims of candidates seeking appointment as Hindi Pandit Grade-II under the District Selection Committee (DSC) recruitment notification of 2002.

The bench comprising Acting Chief Justice P. Sam Koshy and Justice N.V. Shravan Kumar directed the State School Education Principal Secretary Dr. Yogita Rana and Director of School Education Dr. E. Naveen Nicolas, who appeared personally in the contempt proceedings, to ensure compliance by November 4. The batch of contempt cases was filed by Kondra Sandhya and six others. In the writ proceedings, the government  challenged the order of Andhra Pradesh Administrative Tribunal granting the candidates seniority according to merit on par with those appointed pursuant to DSC-2002, contending that notional seniority could not be granted to candidates who had not been appointed. In July 2022, the writ court directed the candidates to submit fresh representations to the respective District Educational Officers within two weeks.

The officers were directed to verify whether the candidates fell within the zone of consideration and submit proposals within three months, followed by another three months for the government to decide.

During contempt proceedings, the government said the proposals were pending. In December 2024, the court granted four weeks for a decision. Justice Sam Koshy criticised the continued delay despite repeated directions and officials’ personal appearances. The government pleader assured compliance by November 4. The court posted the matter to that date, warning both officials to appear again if the directions remained unimplemented.