Telangana High Court Dismisses Petition on Promotion Quota for School Assistant Posts
The Telangana High Court has dismissed a petition filed by a group of B.Ed candidates who challenged the state government’s decision to promote Secondary Grade Teachers (SGTs) to the post of School Assistant (SA) through transfers.
A division bench, comprising Justices P Sam Koshy and Narsing Rao Nandikonda, ruled that the issue falls under the domain of government policy and is not subject to judicial intervention. The court emphasized that such matters, involving administrative decisions like promotion quotas, should be addressed by the state government directly rather than through legal means.
Court’s Ruling on Judicial Intervention
The court advised the petitioners to approach the state government with their concerns rather than seek judicial redress. “We are of the considered opinion that the petitioners do not have any case calling for the court’s interference, as the relief sought is not one that can be addressed under writ jurisdiction. It is entirely a policy decision of the state government to determine the ratio between direct recruitment and promotion for SA posts,” stated the bench.
The petitioners had requested the court to direct the government to reduce the promotion quota for SGTs to 20 percent or lower, while increasing the quota for direct recruitment to 80 percent or more, in line with Supreme Court guidelines. Additionally, they urged the court to include vacancies created by these promotions in the direct recruitment process, to be filled through upcoming district selection committee notifications.
Government Policy and Judicial Review
The bench made it clear that such policy decisions fall outside the scope of judicial review and are best handled through administrative channels. The court reiterated that the state government holds the prerogative to determine the distribution between direct recruitment and promotion for School Assistant posts, and it is not for the judiciary to interfere in these matters.
This ruling highlights the principle that government policies, especially those related to recruitment and promotion, are generally immune from judicial interference unless they violate established legal norms or constitutional provisions.
