In Ravi Oraon v. State of Jharkhand (2025), the Supreme Court held that marks obtained in vocational subjects must be included when calculating eligibility for Scheduled Tribe teacher appointments. The appellants, appointed as Intermediate Trained Teachers, were terminated on the ground that their vocational marks were excluded, reducing their aggregate below 40%. The Court ruled that such exclusion was unjustified as vocational marks formed part of the aggregate per official guidelines. It further held that Rule 21 of the Jharkhand Primary School Teacher Appointment Rules, 2012 applies only to merit list preparation, not eligibility determination. Finding a clear violation of natural justice, the Court observed that the termination was based on a new ground not mentioned in the show cause notice. The Court allowed the appeals, reinstated two teachers with full service benefits, and directed that the deceased teacher’s heirs receive arrears and compassionate appointment consideration.