Dakshina Kannada teachers allege SC/ST quota violations in headmaster promotions

Mangaluru: A few assistant teachers in primary schools across Dakshina Kannada district have alleged serious irregularities in the promotion process to the post of headmaster conducted on April 29, claiming that reservation norms for the scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes were violated.They said promotions were granted without properly implementing the 100-point post-based reservation roster. They alleged that roster points reserved for SC and ST candidates were overlooked and that several posts were instead allotted to general category candidates.The teachers submitted a representation to the deputy director (administration) of department of school education and staged a silent protest in front of the zilla panchayat Tuesday.According to the representation, the process violated constitutional safeguards under articles 14, 16(4), and 16(4A), which deal with equality and reservation in public employment. The teachers also cited Supreme Court judgments in Indra Sawhney (1992), M. Nagaraj (2006), and Jarnail Singh (2018), arguing that compliance with the reservation policy and roster implementation is legally mandatory.Teachers who missed out on postings alleged that vacancies meant for SC and ST candidates remain unfilled, resulting in a backlog they described as unlawful. They further claimed that despite govt directions to follow reservation rules strictly, the counselling process filled posts based on merit first and considered SC/ST candidates only later.The aggrieved teachers have demanded an immediate review of the promotion process, cancellation of promotions allegedly granted in violation of the roster, and issuance of fresh promotions in accordance with reservation norms. They warned that if corrective action is not taken, they may approach the court.Zilla panchayat CEO Narwade Vinayak Karbhari, said teachers dissatisfied with the recent promotion process submitted a memorandum to deputy director of public instruction, Dakshina Kannada, and that it would be forwarded to higher authorities.