Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 18
The Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench, on Tuesday, has permitted nine BEd(Bachelor of Education)-qualified primary school teachers in Nagaland to provisionally enrol in the six-month bridge course, granting interim relief while their writ petition remains pending.
Justice Susmita Phukan Khaund passed the interim order on August 18 in a writ petition filed by the nine teachers against the State of Nagaland, the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and the Directorate of School Education, Nagaland.
The petitioners have challenged Notification No. 16/2026 dated July 28, 2026, along with a subsequent notification dated August 5. The case concerns primary teachers with BEd. qualification but without D.El.Ed. (Diploma in Elementary Education) who were appointed before June 28, 2018.
They have sought permission to pursue the six-month bridge course without being restricted by the August 30, 2026 deadline.
Case background
The petitioners submitted that they were appointed before June 28, 2018, and therefore contended that they did not fall within the ambit of subsequent directions concerning B.Ed-qualified primary teachers.
During the hearing, their counsel relied on the Supreme Court's order in Devesh Sharma v Union of India & Ors., particularly the April 8, 2024 order. The Supreme Court had protected certain B.Ed-qualified teachers already appointed where B.Ed. was stipulated as a valid qualification in the recruitment notification, while directing such teachers to undergo a bridge course.
The Supreme Court had clarified that the protection applied to candidates appointed before August 11, 2023, when its earlier judgment was delivered. It also directed the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), under the overall supervision of the Ministry of Education, to devise the bridge course, with a specified timeframe for completion.
Failure to complete the course within the prescribed timeframe could invalidate an appointment.
The petitioners argued that, having been appointed before June 28, 2018, they were outside the scope of the Supreme Court's April 8, 2024 order in Devesh Sharma.
The State respondents opposed the prayer for interim relief. However, after considering the submissions, Justice Khaund said the matter required consideration with circumspection.
The Court did not finally decide the petitioners' challenge on merits at this stage. Instead, it passed an interim order permitting the petitioners to provisionally enrol in the bridge course.
The Court also issued notice to the respondents, making it returnable within four weeks, and directed that the matter be listed accordingly.
HC directs service appeal disposal, allows CDPOs to join promotion case
In another order, Justice Khaund directed the Appellate Authority to dispose of an appeal filed by a Sub-Inspector (Technical), who is currently posted as Superintendent of Police, DEF Kiphire.
The appeal, filed on December 19, 2025, had remained pending for more than seven months, despite the Nagaland Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1967 requiring disposal within three months.
The Court directed the authority to dispose of the appeal within two months from August 18.
In another matter concerning the Department of Social Welfare, the Court allowed three Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) to be impleaded as respondents in a pending writ petition concerning promotion.
The applicants were in the zone of consideration for promotion against posts of Joint Director and District Programme Officer (DPO), with three posts likely to fall vacant in 2026.
The Court noted that the applicants were due to retire in 2027 and held that their claim could not be considered merely speculative.
