In Brief
Three teachers—Ravi Oraon, Premlal Hembrom, and Surendra Munda—were appointed as Intermediate Trained Teachers in December 2015 but were terminated in October 2016 for allegedly not meeting the 45% marks requirement in their intermediate examination. As Scheduled Tribe members, they claimed entitlement to 5% relaxation, requiring only 40% marks; including vocational subject marks, they exceeded this threshold. The Supreme Court held that Rule 21 (governing merit lists) does not apply to eligibility determination under Rule 4. Vocational subject marks must be included per examination guidelines. The termination violated natural justice as the Department excluded these marks without affording a fresh opportunity to respond. The Court reinstated Ravi and Premlal with full arrears and seniority from original appointment; Surendra's heirs received arrears and deemed 'death-in-harness' status for compassionate relief.
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