Supreme Court directs to move representation before the Centre in a plea challenging criteria for National Award for Teachers

In a challenge against criteria for National Award for Teachers preferred jointly by several States, the Supreme Court on July 14, 2023, directed to approach the Centre by way of a representation.

A Division Bench of Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra, said, “The only relief that we can grant to the petitioners herein is to grant liberty to make a detailed representation to the respondent so that the same could be taken into consideration, in the event, the respondent intends to revise the selection procedure in future. It is needless to observe that if the respondent finds that the representation has certain aspects which could be considered for revision of the selection procedure and implemented, the same may be accordingly considered.”

While the petitioners contended the revised guidelines to be discriminatory, ASG Sri Vikramjit Banerjee argued that the awards given are based upon a criteria formulated by the Union and as such fell within the ambit of policy matter, an exclusive domain of the State.

Brief Background

The petitioners had filed the present writ petition seeking the following reliefs;

(i) To issue a writ of mandamus directing the respondents to revise the selection procedure to accommodate every candidate.

(ii) To scrap the jury system at National level and to stop fresh assessments of candidates who have come through an exhaustive procedure from different states.

(iii) To grant any other relief in the interest of justice as this Hon’ble Court may deem fit in the particular facts and circumstances of the case.

The aforesaid reliefs were sought in the context of National Award for Teachers (NAT) Scheme formulated in the year 1958-59 to recognize and celebrate the contribution of primary, middle and higher secondary schools, by presenting awards on September 5, every year. Each award carried with it a certificate of merit, a cash award of Rs. 25,000/- and a silver medal.

The award under the NAT Scheme was open to classroom teachers with at least fifteen years of teaching experience and headmasters with twenty years of regular teaching experience.

On 15th June, 2018, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India notified National Award to Teachers, 2017 - Revised Guidelines (Revised Guidelines, 2018) whereby a revised selection procedure for the said awards was adopted.

Each applicant had to submit an application and a portfolio online, to be considered.

After a candidate had been examined at District and State levels, and recommended at these two levels, he or she was required to appear before an impartial jury at the National level.

The State/Union Territory quota for recommending prospective candidates was decreased from 312 candidates to 145 candidates as stated before the Court.

Further, before the Revised Guidelines, 2018 were introduced, it was stated that 374-378 candidates were being awarded each year from the year 2000.

Case Title: Girisha Chandra Mishra v. Union of India | WP (C) No. 908 of 2019