The High Court of Tripura has directed the State Government to take immediate steps to fill thousands of vacant teaching and administrative posts in government schools, observing that students are being adversely affected as the academic year has already progressed significantly.

The direction was issued in a suo motu PIL, WP(C)(PIL) No. 04 of 2026, by a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao and Justice Biswajit Palit. The order was passed on September 9 after the court examined an additional affidavit submitted by the School Education Department.

The court noted that 1,116 Post Graduate Teacher (PGT) posts had fallen vacant due to death, retirement, resignation and termination of service. Expressing strong disapproval of the Department’s decision to initiate a process to re-create these posts, the court observed that teaching posts do not lapse merely because an incumbent leaves service.

The State Government was accordingly directed to commence recruitment for all 1,116 vacant PGT posts forthwith.

The court also expressed serious concern over the large number of vacant Graduate Teacher (GT) posts. According to the affidavit, 2,193 GT posts had fallen vacant, while the State Government had requisitioned the Teachers’ Recruitment Board, Tripura (TRBT), in July 2022 for only 230 eligible candidates.

Questioning why recruitment was being undertaken for only a small fraction of the total vacancies, the court directed the authorities to take a decision by the next date of hearing regarding the appointment of candidates against the 230 posts.

The court clarified that such appointments would remain subject to the outcome of a Special Leave Petition (SLP) pending before the Supreme Court. It also specifically observed that there was no stay order preventing the State from making the appointments.

The High Court’s directions underline the urgent need to address the shortage of teachers in government schools and ensure that students do not continue to suffer because of prolonged vacancies.