Shillong: The Meghalaya government will file an appeal in Supreme Court against the ruling of the Meghalaya High Court that has annulled the recruitment of school teachers because of largescale irregularities, including interferences by public representatives.

This was decided during a meeting of the state cabinet here on Tuesday after having been apprised by the state education department on the ruling of high court related to the recruitment of teachers.

"After the ruling of the high court on November 2, the education department was asked to examine this issue in consultation with the law department. The law department has examined the whole operational part of the judgment and returned their views to the education department today. Based on all observations made by the law department and submission made by the education department and other considerations, the cabinet has decided to direct the department to file an appeal before the apex court," Sangma told reporters after the cabinet meeting.

On the kind of relief that the state government would seek from the apex court, the chief minister said the matter would be looked into by a team of lawyers who would examine the operational part of the judgment of the high court and based on that, the whole drafting of the petition will be done.

In its judgment passed on November 2, a division bench of the high court had annulled the entire selection process conducted in five centres because of largescale irregularities, and ordered a fresh CBI inquiry into the selection process in another 10 centres. It asked the CBI to submit its report to the chief secretary within six months.

The state government had, in 2008-2009, conducted recruitment in 15 centres for the post of assistant teachers in lower primary schools.

In 2011-12, the CBI conducted an inquiry in five centres, Shillong, Jowai, Amlarem, Tura and Dadenggre, and unearthed grave anomalies in the selection process. It submitted its report in March 2012.

In October 2012, the state government formed a high-level scrutiny committee, which, in its report submitted in July 2013, found 268 of the 365 appointed candidates in the five centres to be tainted.