High Court canceled the recruitment assistant professors of the Punjab government

News Patiala: 9th August 2022
            The Punjab and Haryana High Court (Punjab & Haryana High Court) has rejected the recruitment process of 1158 Assistant Professors of Government Colleges of Punjab.
 The government had decided to give five more numbers for these posts only for part-time, guest faculty, and contract work in government colleges. Which has been rejected by the High Court on Monday. These recruitments were made during the Congress government.

Justice Mahaveer Singh Sindhu has given these orders while pronouncing his decision on several petitions filed against this appointment process on Monday. The High Court has rejected this appointment process. A detailed decision of the High Court on all these petitions is yet to come. But, one of the petitioners’ lawyers, Vikas Chatrath, confirmed that the court had quashed the entire election process.

Many petitions were filed against this appointment process last year itself. It was said that the Punjab government started the appointment process of 1158 assistant professors in the government colleges of the state on October 19. The elections were on different grounds. Which included norms restricting the benefit of weightage to guest faculty/part-timer/contract teachers working in government colleges of Punjab. The election process was completed by moving these elections out of the purview of the Punjab Public Service Commission. The final selection list was also announced by the state.

In its earlier order dated December 4, 2021, the High Court stayed the election process. Despite this, the government had issued the appointment letters after which the High Court had also issued an injunction notice against the Chief Secretary.

According to this appointment process, it was decided that the applicants will be assigned a number according to each year. Who is already working in a government college on part-time, guest faculty, and contract basis? Most five such numbers were set to be awarded. But these more numbers are not being given to anyone working on part-time, guest faculty, and contract basis in government grant-aided colleges and any other colleges.

The petitioner says that these rules are completely wrong. The High Court while hearing the petition said that it is the duty of the state government to appoint better ‘talent’ in the interest of the students. Saying this, the High Court ordered the government to give a reply while staying the appointment till further orders. The government could not file any proper response in the court in favor of its decision.