Orissa High Court Questions OTET Requirement for Pre-2001 Teachers' Promotions

Court Seeks Clarification on Teacher Promotions

Bhubaneswar: The Orissa High Court has requested the state government to clarify whether the Odisha Teacher Eligibility Test (OTET) is necessary for the promotion of teachers who were appointed prior to September 3, 2001. This request comes as the court has halted further promotion processes in the Dhanakauda block of Sambalpur district. Justice RK Pattnaik, part of a division bench, issued this directive while addressing a petition from Babrubahan Bhoi, a Level-4 trained graduate teacher at Nirgundapada Government Upper Primary School in Sambalpur.

The court instructed the Sambalpur District Education Officer (DEO) and the Dhanakauda Block Education Officer to refrain from advancing the promotion of Level-4 teachers to Level-3 Senior Headmaster positions based on the final gradation list and the approval order from the Director of Elementary Education dated September 3, until further notice. The case is scheduled for a final hearing on November 9. Bhoi, who ranked 77th in the gradation list, was omitted from the final promotion list due to not passing the OTET. He contested the DEO's decision and the Director of Elementary Education's directive in the High Court, arguing that the OTET requirement should not apply to teachers hired before the specified date.

Citing the Supreme Court's ruling in UP vs Ishat-e-Taleem Trust, he maintained that teachers appointed before the cut-off date are exempt from the eligibility test. Bhoi's legal representatives, Dr. Purushottam Chuli and Preeti Punyatoya, also referenced a judgment from the Bombay High Court delivered on July 9, 2026, to bolster their argument. The High Court has further mandated the state government to clarify the applicability of the OTET qualification for teachers appointed before September 3, 2001.