Guwahati, Sept. 8 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Assam government and its education departments not to appoint or absorb teachers in schools and colleges under the state's provincialisation scheme.

The direction came as the court considered a PIL challenging the constitutional validity of the statutory framework governing the provincialisation of teachers and employees of venture educational institutions. The petitioners have contended that the scheme allows entry into substantive government service without a fair, transparent and competitive recruitment process.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana took note of submissions by senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, appearing for PIL...