Akshay Azad
JAMMU, Aug 30: There has been no respite for thousands of candidates, who have applied for 1,657 posts of Assistant Professors, as their case is pending in the High Court (HC).
Sources in Higher Education Department informed Early Times that on August 28, the case was taken up in HC at Srinagar but the counsel of M.Phil candidates claimed that a decision in this regard was also pending in the HC at Jammu, following which the HC, Srinagar, preferred to wait for the outcome of the HC, Jammu, verdict on the litigation of M.Phil candidates of Jammu before giving any judgment.
He said that in HC, Jammu, the case was likely to be taken up for hearing in the coming week.
Sources apprehended that the recruitment process might got further delayed by months together as the Assembly elections were drawing closer and the imposition of Model Code of Conduct (MCC), might delayed the process further.
Sources informed that earlier, High Court Jammu had directed the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) not to make recruitments against 1,287 posts of Assistant Professors, which were advertised as per first notification, in response to the petition filed by M.Phil candidates of Jammu division.
"Though the High Court, Jammu, had not stayed the recruitment process but in response to petition filed by M.Phil candidates of Srinagar, the Srinagar division of High Court had stayed the recruitment process around one and half month back", sources said.
They informed that nearly one month back, the lecturers working in Higher Secondary Schools had also got a stay from the court on the recruitment process due to variation in terms and conditions in advertisements, published on different occasions.
"1657 posts were advertised as per three notifications. In the first notification only 1287 posts were advertised, according to which the maximum age limit for Higher Secondary lecturers was 45 years but as per third notification in which 1657 posts were advertised as per new recruitment rules, the age limit is 40 years", sources said, adding that the third notification was challenged by Higher Secondary lecturers working in Srinagar.
Higher Education Department was the first respondent and JKPSC second in the petition filed by M.Phil candidates and Higher Secondary lecturers.
An official of PSC said that it was the prerogative of Higher Education Department to contest the case. "It would take some more months to complete the recruitment process", the official said.
Pertinently, in the last week of May, 2014, the JKPSC had issued third notification for the recruitment of 1657 Assistant Professors in various disciplines in the Government Degree Colleges. According to that notification, Ph.D, NET and SLET qualified candidates were eligible for filling the forms and not the M.Phil candidates.
Though the M.Phil candidates had got a stay from High Court, JKPSC had not allowed the M.Phil candidates to fill the forms. |
