Himachal High Court: Employee Transfers Between Districts Subject to Administrative Discretion, Not a Legal Right
Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh High Court has clarified that government employees do not have a legal right to be transferred from one district to another. The court made this ruling while dismissing a petition filed by JBT teacher Sohan Singh.
Judge Ajay Mohan Goyal stated that when an employee is appointed to a district cadre post, they are obligated to serve in that district. The court emphasized that transfers are a matter of administrative discretion and not the employee’s personal choice.
Petitioner Sohan Singh, working as a JBT teacher in Solan district, requested a transfer to his home district of Mandi. He argued that he fulfilled all the criteria under the transfer policy and that positions were vacant in Mandi. He had previously submitted a request to the Education Department, which was rejected on 4 October 2025.
The state government opposed the petition, stating that Solan district has 1,813 approved JBT/HT posts, of which 363 are already vacant. Allowing transfers could create a severe shortage of teachers in Solan, directly affecting students’ education.
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