Agartala, September 29,2026: A writ petition has been filed before the Tripura High Court challenging the advertisements issued for the engagement of Guest Lecturers at Swami Vivekananda Mahavidyalaya, Mohanpur, and Government Degree College, Khumulwng, alleging violation of the norms prescribed by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

      The writ petition, registered as WP(C) No. 730 of 2026, was filed on behalf of aspiring candidates. Advocate Koomar Chakraborty appeared and argued the matter on behalf of the petitioners.

      According to the petitioners’ counsel, the two colleges, under the Higher Education Department, have issued advertisements for conducting interviews for Guest Lecturers on September 30 and October 6, respectively. The advertisements reportedly prescribe an honorarium of Rs. 500 per class and mention only a Master’s Degree as the required educational qualification.

      The petitioners have contended that, under the applicable UGC norms, Guest Lecturers are required to possess the qualifications prescribed for the post of Assistant Professor under the UGC Regulations, while the prescribed honorarium for Guest Faculty is Rs. 1,500 per lecture, subject to the applicable conditions.

      Advocate Koomar Chakraborty submitted before the High Court that a substantial number of sanctioned posts of Assistant Professors remain unfilled in the State’s higher educational institutions and that Guest Lecturers are, in practice, helping to meet the resulting teaching requirements. He therefore argued that Guest Lecturers should not be deprived of the honorarium prescribed by the UGC.

      According to the information provided by the petitioners’ counsel, after hearing the matter on Tuesday, a Bench of the Tripura High Court presided over by Justice S. D. Purkayastha directed the concerned colleges not to publish the final result of the Guest Lecturer selection process until further orders. Notice has also reportedly been issued to the State Government seeking its response on the issues raised in the petition.

      The next hearing of the case is expected to take place in December 2026.

      The written order of the High Court had not yet been uploaded at the time of reporting. The exact observations and directions of the Court will therefore be clear once the written order becomes available.