HC Stays Transfer Of Teachers Recommended By MLAs & MPs; Seeks Reply From Odisha Govt

BHUBANESWAR: The Orissa High Court is examining the state government’s decision to allow MLAs and MPs to recommend transfer of teachers of elementary and secondary schools within their constituencies.

A HC bench of Justice Deekshit Krishna Shripad took up the joint hearing of petitions filed by R Tripathi and others, who argued that the state government’s May 13 policy decision authorising every legislator to recommend the transfer of 15 eligible teachers—was arbitrary, unjustified, and beyond its authority.

The petitioners contended that the transfer orders, based on the letter from the Joint Secretary of the School and Mass Education Department, had directly affected their postings. They claimed that the process undermined fairness and transparency, allowing political influence to dictate administrative decisions.

As per the May 13 directive, the recommendations from MPs and MLAs are to be routed through respective District Magistrates, with the final call to be taken by district-level transfer committees on the same day of receipt.

While admitting the petitions, the High Court issued notices to the state and granted an interim stay on the petitioners’ transfer until the next hearing, which is scheduled four weeks from now.

The intervention of the High Court assumes significance as the policy decision was being seen as an unusual instance of political representatives playing a direct role in administrative transfers, even as the state government maintained it was a limited, one-time exercise.