Irregularities, nepotism, political gains in the selection process to any post must be addressed; at the earliest, if possible and with an iron fist, if that’s what it takes. However, candidates losing jobs they got just months ago needs to be dealt with regret on the part of the authorities, empathy for those who had barely settled into their new roles. The Supreme Court’s recent decision to quash the recruitment of 1,158 assistant professors and librarians appointed in government colleges of Punjab presents a similar dilemma.
Of the 1,158 candidates whose recruitment has been quashed, as many as 1,091 assistant professors and 67 librarians were recruited in 2021. In a reassuring move, the court also directed the state government to make fresh recruitments within six months. However, any steps taken to quash the recruitment or reappoint the candidates is meaningless unless concrete steps are taken to ensure no candidates (both selected and otherwise) have to go through the entire rigmarole of first being selected and then being shut out.
The law took its own course
Legal recourse in India is infamous for being lengthy, uncertain and riddled with bureaucratic hurdles. Bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Aravind Kumar reserved its order on May 8 which was pronounced on July 14. The Apex Court also questioned the Punjab government's handling of the selection process, as panels were formed after some candidates filed petitions alleging irregularities.
In August 2022, a single bench ruling rejected the recruitment of 1,158 assistant professors and librarians. Overturning this single bench ruling, in September 2024, Punjab and Haryana High Court double bench comprising Justice Sureshwar Thakur and Justice Sudeepti Sharma, allowed the recruitment to stay following which the petitioners filed a special leave petition in the apex court, alleging irregularities in the selection process. The Apex Court ruling comes 10 months after the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order. Jolted by the order, many of the assistant professors rued the loss of time and lost opportunities during the years the matter was in court.
The fallouts of the flawed process
The abuse and misuse of merit-based selection process is, unfortunately, nothing new in the recruitment to government jobs and positions. Just like the negative repercussions of examination leaks cannot be offset by conducting fresh examination, similar theory applies to recruitment for jobs.
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After the quashing of their recruitment by a single bench of HC, the assistant professors had staged a protest in front of the residence of education minister Harjot Singh Bains at his native village. The protests continued for a long time, during which an assistant professor Balwinder Kaur died by suicide, while assistant front convener Prof Jaswinder Singh went on a hunger strike.
The need of the hour — plug the loopholes
Irregularities in the recruitment process, uncertainty in the recruitment itself have not been the only flaws pointed out in the functioning of the government. In December, when the 1,158 assistant professors and librarians had initiated a fast-unto-death strike near Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s residence in Sangrur, they had criticised the government for delays in meeting with education officials. The protestors highlighted their ongoing struggles and in the process highlighted the apathy of the system. The issue is not only about the recruitment but also the survival of the government colleges, which allegedly have not had regular professor appointments for 25 years.
The top court also found the recruitment process, which was conducted after two decades of hiring freeze, as violating the guidelines of University Grants Commission and lacking in procedural integrity. The SC explained that bypassing the Punjab Public Service Commission and omitting key academic assessment, including the viva voce invalidated the appointments.
Invalid appointments, whether stayed or quashed, eventually both harm the system. The ruling has affected 1,091 assistant professors and 67 librarians who had joined more than 150 colleges across Punjab and some no earlier than six months ago. Their pain is further amplified by the silence of the education department; no plan of action, no apology and no course corrective measures. It’s time the authorities learnt their mistakes and plugged the loopholes.
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