In a ruling that will directly impact thousands of teaching aspirants in Karnataka, the Supreme Court on Thursday (October 16) dismissed a batch of appeals filed by Leelavathi N. and others challenging the High Court’s decision to send their recruitment dispute to the Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal (KSAT). The dispute arose from the 2022 Graduate Primary Teacher recruitment process, where married women candidates were denied OBC reservation benefits because they submitted caste certificates based on their parents rather than their husbands.
Background
The issue began when the Karnataka government announced recruitment for 15,000 Graduate Primary Teacher posts for Classes 6–8. After the written test, a provisional list was issued in November 2022. Several married women candidates found themselves moved from the OBC quota to the general category because the authorities refused to accept caste and income certificates issued in their parents’ names.
A single-judge bench of the Karnataka High Court stepped in, ruling that caste is determined by birth and cannot change after marriage. The court directed the government to consider the certificates of parents rather than husbands - a move that reshuffled the selection list and displaced hundreds of candidates already in line for appointment.
This triggered a wave of litigation. The State appealed, and the Division Bench of the High Court set aside the single judge’s order, holding that the matter should be first heard by the KSAT.
Court’s Observations
The Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi, agreed with the Division Bench. It stressed that service-related disputes like recruitment and selection must first be taken up before the Administrative Tribunal, not directly by the High Court.
“The Constitution Bench in L. Chandra Kumar vs. Union of India clearly laid down that Tribunals are the courts of first instance in such matters,” the bench noted. It rejected the argument that this case presented an “extraordinary situation” requiring the High Court’s direct intervention.
The bench also clarified that the single judge’s reliance on T.K. Rangarajan vs. Government of Tamil Nadu was misplaced, stating, “That case dealt with mass dismissal of striking employees - a scenario far removed from an individual recruitment dispute.”
The court further underlined that candidates who figured only in a provisional select list have no vested right to appointment. “Any direction to act on the provisional list would lead to confusion,” the judges remarked, emphasizing that only the final list of March 2023 remains operative.
Decision
Dismissing all appeals, the Supreme Court affirmed that the Division Bench of the Karnataka High Court had acted correctly in relegating the matter to the KSAT. It made the earlier interim orders permanent and directed that the 500 posts kept vacant be filled as per the KSAT’s final decision.
The bench also urged the Tribunal to decide the matter “expeditiously, preferably within six months.”
With this, the long-running dispute over how to assess the caste status of married women in Karnataka’s teacher recruitment process now moves squarely to the KSAT for a final say.
Case Title: Leelavathi N. & Others vs. State of Karnataka & Others
Citation: 2025 INSC 1242
Date of Judgment: October 16, 2025
