AGARTALA, July 26 (TIWN): The next calendar date for the hearing of 10,323 teachers' termination case is scheduled on July 27 in the Supreme Court; uncertainty still prevails over the fate of the terminated teachers. As per scheduled programme, the case will be placed in the registrar’s bench of the Apex Court on Monday. The special leave petition (SLP) challenging the High court of Tripura that terminated the jobs of 10,323 school teachers would be placed before the Apex court for the next hearing on July 27. The SLP will come up for hearing before the court headed by MK Hanjura. Gopal Singh, standing counsel of Tripura in the apex court will represent the state government. Uncertainty looms large over the future of 10,323 teachers working in different government schools of Tripura, whose jobs were cancelled by the High Court with effect from December 31 because of faulty appointment process based on unconstitutional employment policy, on May 7. Terming the job as illegal, a division bench of High Court of Tripura headed by Chief Justice Deepak Gupta directed the state government to cancel the jobs of the teachers after December and by that time to frame an employment policy within two months and appoint new teachers.

It is to be mentioned here that earlier on May 7, a division bench of Tripura high court, headed by Chief Justice Deepak Gupta, terminated the jobs of 10,323 teachers, including 1,100 postgraduate, 4,617 graduate and 4,606 undergraduate teachers. The court declared the existing employment policy of the state government, which has been followed since 1980, null and void. In the existing employment system, 30% jobs are given on the basis of need and 70% on the basis of merit and no written tests are conducted.

The high court had termed the policy 'unconstitutional and illegal' and had issued a 19-point guideline for a new employment policy for the state within the next two months.

After that Tripura Government appealed to the Supreme Court to take proper action on the termination issue of the teachers.