Bhubaneswar: The Orissa High Court has stayed, until the next hearing, the operation of an Odisha government notification allowing retired persons to be engaged as guest teachers and lecturers in educational institutions.
A division bench of Justice R K Patnaik passed the interim order while hearing a batch of petitions challenging the state government’s decision to engage retired teachers and lecturers without a regular recruitment process.
The petitioners contended that the move deprived qualified unemployed youths of employment opportunities and was contrary to Supreme Court directions, National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) regulations and University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines.
They also alleged that some of the retired persons engaged as guest faculty did not possess the prescribed educational qualifications.
The petitions, filed by Pushpalata Majhi and others during 2025 and 2026, challenged the engagement of retired teachers and lecturers in various government and aided educational institutions.
The court directed the state government to file its response and posted the matter for further hearing on October 12.
The issue came into focus after the Higher Education Department initiated steps to engage retired persons as guest lecturers in 488 and 662 private aided and Sanskrit colleges.
The petitioners have sought recruitment of eligible candidates through the State Selection Board instead of engaging retired persons as guest lecturers.
Advocate Saubhagya Swain appeared for petitioner Pushpalata Majhi.
