Bombay High Court
VIKAS SHANTARAM CHANDEversusTHE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA THROUGH SECRETARY AND ORS
- Disposal
- Allowed
Holding
The order appointing the petitioner as a Shikshan Sevak is quashed; the petitioner must be regularised as an Assistant Teacher in the regular pay scale after completing three years of service.
Summary
The petitioner, appointed as an Assistant Teacher on an unaided post in 2013, was transferred in 2016 to an aided post and was appointed as a Shikshan Sevak by the Education Officer in 2018. The petitioner challenged this order, arguing that after completing three years of service, he was entitled to regularisation as an Assistant Teacher under the Maharashtra Employees of Private Schools (Conditions of Service) Rules, 1981. The Court examined Sub‑Clause 5(A) of Clause 3 of the Government Circular dated 28 June 2016 and held that it applies only when the teacher has not completed three years of service and lacks regular approval. Citing the decisions in Sandip Dilip Thorat v. State of Maharashtra and Sagar Harichandra Bhande v. State of Maharashtra, the Court quashed the order appointing the petitioner as a Shikshan Sevak. It directed the Education Officer to regularise the petitioner as an Assistant Teacher in the regular pay scale and to pay arrears from 30 November 2016. The petition was allowed.
Issues considered
- Whether Sub‑Clause 5(A) of Clause 3 of the Government Circular dated 28 June 2016 can be invoked when an Assistant Teacher has completed three years of service on an unaided post.
- Whether the petitioner is entitled to regularisation as an Assistant Teacher in the regular pay scale after completing three years of service.
- Validity of the Education Officer’s order appointing the petitioner as a Shikshan Sevak instead of an Assistant Teacher.
Legislation cited
- Maharashtra Employees of Private Schools (Conditions of Service) Rules
Subjects
- Shikshan Sevak
- Assistant Teacher
- Government Circular
- Transfer
- Regular Pay Scale
- Maharashtra Employees of Private Schools Rules
- Writ Petition
- Service Tenure
Judgment
45-WP-7511-2025.doc
Digitally signed
by HARISH
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY
VITHAL
HARISH
VITHAL
CHAUDHARI CIRCUIT BENCH AT KOLHAPUR
CHAUDHARI Date:
2026.10.05
12:02:47
+0530
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
WRIT PETITION NO. 7511 OF 2025
Vikas Shantaram Chande ...Petitioner
Versus
The State Of Maharashtra Through Secretary ...Respondents
And Others
——————
Mr. Prashant Bhavake for the Petitioner.
Mr. Vikas M. Mali, AGP for the Respondent-State.
——————
Coram : Sharmila U. Deshmukh &
Neeraj P. Dhote, JJ.
Date : October 01, 2026.
P. C. :
1. By the present petition, the petitioner challenges the order dated
29th January, 2018 passed by the Education Oicer, seeking modiication
of the said order insofar as it grants approval to the transfer of the
petitioner to the aided post as a Shikshan Sevak instead of an Assistant
Teacher in the regular pay scale.
2. Briely stated, the facts of the case are that the petitioner came
to be appointed on 30th November, 2013 to the unaided post of
Assistant Teacher in respondent no. 7’s school. Respondent no. 5
approved the appointment of the petitioner on 17 th January, 2014. A
resolution was subsequently passed on 16 th July, 2016 by respondent
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no. 6 resolving to transfer the petitioner to an aided vacant post, and a
proposal was submitted seeking approval for the said transfer. On 29 th
January, 2018, respondent no. 5, Education Oicer, approved the
appointment of the petitioner as a Shikshan Sevak with efect from 16 th
July, 2016 instead of as a full-time Assistant Teacher.
3. Mr. Bhavake, learned counsel for the Petitioner would submit that
the issue has been settled by various decisions of this Court, and in
particular, by the decision of the Hon'ble Division Bench of this Court in
the case of Sandip Dilip Thorat vs State of Maharashtra [in Writ
Petition No. 168 of 2021 decided on 22 nd July, 2021] and connected
Petitions. He submits that the Hon'ble Division Bench considered the
clauses of the Government Circular dated 28th June, 2016 and has held
that Sub-Clause 5(A) of Clause 3 of Government Circular can be invoked
only where the Assistant Teacher has not completed three years period
after his appointment in the school on unaided basis and that he has not
received approval to his service as an Assistant Teacher on regular basis.
He would point out that in the present case, the Petitioner has
completed ive years of service short of ive days, and therefore,
approval was required to be granted for the post of Assistant Teacher in
regular pay scale.
4. The learned AGP would support the impugned order and submits
that as the transfer was on the aided post, the petitioner was rightly
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appointed as a Shikshan Sevak by relying upon the GR dated 28 th June,
2016.
5. We have considered the submissions and perused the record.
6. The decision in the case of Sandip Dilip Thorat (supra) covers the
present issue. In that case, the Hon'ble Division Bench had the occasion
to consider various clauses of the Government Circular dated 28 th June,
2016. It noted the provisions of the Maharashtra Employees of Private
Schools (Conditions of Service) Rules, 1981, as well as the judicial
pronouncements on the subject. It also noted the decision in the case of
Sagar Harichandra Bhande vs State of Maharashtra; [WP(ST) No.
93916 of 2020 decided on 12 th March, 2021], where it was held that
when an Assistant Teacher has already completed three years period,
there is no justiiable reason to ask the Assistant Teacher to work again
as Shikshan Sevak on consolidated pay for three years. It held in
paragraph 19 as under:
"19. It is clear from these Petitions that the respective
Petitioners had rendered service on unaided basis as Assistant
Teacher in the respective Secondary Schools and were
transferred to the aided division of the respective Secondary
Schools on the basic sanctioned post which had become vacant
on the said aided division and the said post was already on 100%
grant-in-aid basis. It has been clearly held by the Division Bench
of this Court in the case of Sagar S/O. Harichandra Bhande &
Anr. (supra), where the Assistant Teacher had already completed
three years period, there is no justiiable reason to ask the
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Assistant Teacher to work again as Shikshan Sevak on
consolidated pay for three years. Sub-Clause 5(A) of Clause 3 of
the said Government Circular can be invoked only where the
Assistant teacher has not completed three years period after his
appointment in the school on unaided basis and that he has not
received approval to his services as an Assistant Teacher on
regular basis."
7. In the present case, the petitioner was appointed to the unaided
post as an Assistant Teacher on 30 th November, 2013 and is entitled to
the beneit of the services rendered on the said post. The issue is well
settled by the judicial decisions of this Court and upon completion of
the probation period of three years, she is entitled to be appointed as
an Assistant Teacher. The impugned order appoints the petitioner as a
Shikshan Sevak with efect from 16th July 2016 without considering the
past services rendered by her and to that extent, the impugned order
dated 29th January, 2018 is hereby quashed and set aside.
8. The Education Oicer is directed to grant approval to the transfer
of the petitioner from the unaided post to the aided post in the regular
pay scale as an Assistant Teacher within a period of two weeks from
today. As the period of three years was completed on 30 th November
2016, the arrears of salary to be released within a period of four weeks
thereafter, with efect from 30th November, 2016.
9. The petition is allowed in the aforesaid terms.
[Neeraj P. Dhote, J.] [Sharmila U. Deshmukh, J.]
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