In Brief
The Supreme Court addressed whether the NCTE's guidelines prescribing minimum qualifications and weightage for TET marks in teacher recruitment were binding on Uttar Pradesh. The Court held that while the NCTE's authority to prescribe minimum qualifications (including TET as mandatory) is valid and binding under Section 23 of the RTE Act, the weightage given to TET marks is merely directory, not mandatory. Therefore, States may apply alternative selection criteria while requiring TET as a qualifying threshold. The Court upheld 66,655 appointments already made under prior interim orders and directed the State to fill remaining vacancies by fresh advertisement.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.