Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Monday, July 20, has directed the state government to complete certificate verification of over 700 junior lecturers working in government-run Intermediate colleges within two months, and to then take a decision on granting them the benefits due after their services were made permanent, including their pending annual pay increments.
Justice K Sharath passed the directions while disposing of a batch of petitions filed by the aggrieved lecturers, whose services had already been made permanent, or “regularised,” through government orders issued on May 1, 2023.
What the lecturers argued
The petitioners told the court that even though their services stood regularised under these government orders, authorities had failed to grant them annual increments or formally declare that they had completed their probation period.
Their counsel argued that once services are regularised, withholding increments due under service rules amounts to an unlawful action by the government.
“Not declaring probation is severely affecting pay and allowances, promotions, service seniority and other employment benefits,” the counsel told the court, citing the Telangana State and Subordinate Service Rules to contend that such benefits should follow automatically once regularisation is granted, without any further approval needed.
It was also argued that treating lecturers performing the same duties differently amounted to discrimination and went against the spirit of the Constitution.
Justice Sharath took a serious view of the delay, noting that the lecturers had already completed their probation period three years ago, and asked the government how much longer it needed to settle the matter.
Government cites verification delay
Responding to the court, government counsel said nearly 70 per cent of the lecturers had submitted certificates issued by institutions outside Telangana. “The certificates pertaining to their probation are from Sikkim, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and officials are visiting each institution to verify the records where they were provisionally regularised,” the counsel said, adding that the verification exercise was moving quickly and seeking more time to complete it.
After considering the submissions from both sides, the court disposed of the petitions, directing the state government to finish verifying the lecturers’ certificates within two months and to then decide on regularising their service benefits, including the pending annual increments.
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