In a significant relief to three tribal teachers from Jharkhand, the Supreme Court on Thursday (October 9, 2025) quashed their termination orders, calling the State’s action “high-handed, arbitrary, and illegal.” The teachers - Ravi Oraon, Premlal Hembrom, and the late Surendra Munda - had been dismissed in 2016 over alleged shortfall in intermediate marks. The Court held that the authorities had miscalculated their marks and denied them a fair hearing.
Background
The case dates back to 2015, when Jharkhand advertised posts for Intermediate Trained Teachers for primary schools. The three appellants, all belonging to Scheduled Tribe communities, cleared the selection process and began teaching in December 2015.
Just nine months later, the Education Department issued show-cause notices, alleging they hadn’t achieved the required 45% marks in their Class XII exams. The teachers responded that, as ST candidates, they were eligible with 40% and had even surpassed that when including their vocational subject marks.
Despite their explanation, their services were terminated abruptly on October 7, 2016. The teachers took the matter to the Jharkhand High Court, where a Single Judge ruled in their favour. However, a Division Bench later reversed that order, prompting the appeal before the Supreme Court.
Court’s Observations
Justice Dipankar Datta, writing for the Bench, observed that the Jharkhand authorities had “proceeded to terminate the appellants’ services by computing their marks after excluding the vocational subject - a course of action which shocks our conscience.”
The Court pointed out that the Department relied on Rule 21 of the 2012 Appointment Rules, which applied only to merit-list preparation, not eligibility determination. Eligibility, the Court said, must be decided under Rule 4, which nowhere excludes vocational marks.
“The respondents erred in applying Rule 21 to decide eligibility. The Division Bench repeated the same mistake,” the judgment noted.
The Bench also remarked that excluding marks from vocational subjects contradicted the rule printed on the students’ own marksheets, which clearly stated that bonus marks from vocational subjects should be added to improve overall results.
On the issue of procedure, the Court was unsparing: “Findings were returned by the respondents which were at variance with the allegations in the show-cause notices. The appellants had been denied a fair and reasonable opportunity of hearing,” the Bench said, holding the termination orders void for violating natural justice.
Decision
The Supreme Court set aside the Jharkhand High Court’s Division Bench ruling and restored the teachers’ services. It directed that Ravi Oraon and Premlal Hembrom be treated as continuously employed since December 2015, with full arrears of pay and seniority benefits.
However, since one appellant, Surendra Munda, passed away in August 2024, the Court ordered that his heirs be paid all arrears and be treated under the “died-in-harness” scheme for compassionate employment.
In a strong closing line, the Court stated that Jharkhand’s actions “lacked fairness and transparency,” and ordered the State to disburse all due payments within three months.
Case Title: Ravi Oraon & Ors. vs The State of Jharkhand & Ors.
Citation: 2025 INSC 1212
Date of Judgment: October 9, 2025