Allahabad high court (File photo)
PRAYAGRAJ: Teachers shouldn’t be deployed for election duties unless no employees from all other categories mentioned in Election Commission guideline are available, Allahabad HC has ruled, stressing the compliance of the guideline regarding “minimal appointment of teachers” for poll duties.
Justice Ajay Bhanot‘s observation came on Tuesday on a plea filed by Surya Pratap Singh, an assistant teacher at a primary school in Jhansi district, who challenged his engagement as a booth-level election officer.
“EC guideline seeks to balance the competing imperatives of Right to Education, the indispensable role of teachers in the society, and the necessity of electoral work in a democracy,” the high court said.