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The Punjab and Haryana High Court is set to hear arguments on March 26 regarding a challenge to the 2018 Punjab principal recruitment rules, which increased the quota for direct recruitment from 25% to 50%.
A Punjab government official has attributed the shortage of principals to ongoing legal proceedings concerning direct recruitment. The 2018 policy change, which increased the direct recruitment quota from 25% to 50%, is currently under judicial review. This legal challenge has delayed the appointment of principals through direct recruitment, contributing to the current shortfall.
The official said before 2018, under the Rules of 2012, 75% of principal posts were filled through promotion and 25% through direct recruitment. The 2018 rules revised this ratio to 50:50, with 975 out of 1,950 sanctioned posts reserved for direct recruitment.
The officer said until 2019, no direct recruitment had taken place. That year, 173 principals were appointed through this process.
Subsequent advertisements for direct recruitment were issued in 2020 for 173 posts and in 2021 for 119 posts. These were challenged in the High Court through separate petitions—CWP No. 10646 of 2020 (Sukhpreet Singh & Others vs. State of Punjab) and CWP No. 24106 of 2021 (Manoj Kumar & Others vs. State of Punjab). The court allowed the recruitment test to proceed but barred the declaration of results. Both petitions have now been clubbed together.
The petitioners have contested the shift from 25% to 50% direct recruitment, arguing that it undermines promotion opportunities. The matter is now listed for arguments on the vacation of the stay order on March 26.
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