2026:UHC:1370-DB SL. No. Date Office Notes, reports, orders or proceedings or directions and Registrar’s order with Signatures COURT’S OR JUDGE’S ORDERS W PSB/ 2 4 1 / 2 0 2 0 W it h W PSB/ 3 8 0 / 2 0 2 0 Hon’ble Manoj Kumar Tiwari, J. Hon’ble Pankaj Purohit, J. Per – Hon’ble Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari. J. Mr. Anil Anthwal, Advocate for the petitioner. Dr. Kartikey Hari Gupta, Advocate for the petitioner in connected writ petition. Mr. Sushil Vashisth, Standing Counsel for the State. 2. Since common questions of fact and law are involved in these petitions, therefore, they are clubbed together and decided by this common judgment. However, for the sake of brevity and convenience, facts of Writ Petition No. 241 of 2020 (SB) alone are being considered and discussed. 3. Petitioner’s claim for appointment as Downgrade Principal was rejected by Additional Director, Secondary, Pauri on the ground that he did not possess the requisite qualifications for appointment as Downgrade Principal on the date of occurrence of vacancy on the post of Principal. Thus feeling aggrieved, petitioner has filed this writ petition challenging the said order passed by Regional Additional Director of Education. 4. Learned counsel for the petitioner relied upon a judgment rendered by this Court in Writ Petition No. 369 of 2020 (SB), wherein identical issue was 2026:UHC:1370-DB considered and decided. 5. Learned counsel for the petitioner further submits that the condition that one should possess all requisite qualifications on the date of occurrence of vacancy on the post of Principal, was relaxed by Government Order dated 05.01.2022, therefore, petitioner’s claim for appointment needs to be reconsidered in view of said development. 6. This Court finds substance in the submission made by learned counsel for the petitioner. 7. Since the State Government has relaxed the condition, which was invoked for rejecting petitioner’s claim, therefore, we find substance in the submission made by petitioner’s counsel that petitioner’s claim needs to be re-looked by the competent authority. 8. We, accordingly, dispose of the writ petition with a direction to the Regional Additional Director, Pauri to revisit the issue and pass appropriate order, as per law, within six weeks. Regional Additional Direction shall bear in mind the Government Order dated 05.01.2022. (Pankaj Purohit, J.) (Manoj Kumar Tiwari, J.) 26.02.2026 Mahinder/ MAHINDER SINGH Digitally signed by MAHINDER SINGH DN: c=IN, o=HIGH COURT OF UTTARAKHAND, ou=HIGH COURT OF UTTARAKHAND, 2.5.4.20=da6212e6e78d94ed3134842bc6a8d6ca168979ca7b8c2f031a92d1a18b08923c, postalCode=263001, st=UTTARAKHAND, serialNumber=AB77B7C5B240908B392BE84F5CDD4C2AF35DC4626D305B1BC9EA4BABA43D 2B8F, cn=MAHINDER SINGH Date: 2026.02.27 17:39:41 +05'30' 2026:UHC:1370-DB