In Brief
A teacher appointed to teach Higher Secondary Economics lacked the State Eligibility Test (SET) qualification in Economics, holding SET only in Malayalam instead. The Kerala rules require specific qualifications for Higher Secondary School Teacher posts. The Supreme Court ruled that SET must be passed in the concerned subject for eligibility, even though the rules don't expressly state this requirement. The Court applied purposive statutory interpretation, noting the SET exam itself is subject-specific with a specialisation paper at postgraduate level. The appellant had insufficient teaching experience to qualify for exemption under the rules. The appointment of a competing candidate with SET in Economics was upheld.
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