New Delhi, Nov 21 (IANS) Pulling up the Delhi government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for failing to ensure that all teachers’ posts in government-run schools are filled up despite its orders, the Delhi High Court directed them to fill up the vacancies by February, before the new academic session begins.

After admitting the new status report by the Delhi Services Selection Board (DSSB), Justice Rajiv Endlaw asked the government to comply with the earlier orders of the court and file a detailed status report by Feb 23.

Social Jurists, a lawyers group, through their counsel Ashok Agarwal had moved a contempt plea before the high court alleging that the MCD and Delhi government had not abided by the schedule given by the court.

The DSSB in its affidavit stated that the Delhi government is currently short of 6,714 teachers for various posts and the MCD schools are short of 4,500 teachers.

‘The zero vacancy deadline had long expired, and till date a large number of vacancies exists,’ argued Agarwal before the court.

The high court in March 2007 had directed the MCD to recruit 50 percent of its school principals directly ‘to improve the supervisory staff’. The MCD, meanwhile, proposed to fill 25 percent posts of principals by direct recruitment.

The high court direction came after the sorry plight of MCD schools was brought to its notice. The MCD had then agreed to implement the order within six months and had also resolved to form recruitment rules.