‘Taking appropriate steps’ to challenge the subsequent absorption of the Assistant Professors into service, petitioners’ counsel informs Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench on April 3. (File Photo)
Morung Express News
Dimapur | April 6
All the Assistant Professors appointed on a contractual basis in various government institutes in Nagaland have been absorbed into service, according to the proceedings of a batch of writ petitions challenging their appointment in the Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench (GHCKB).
Accordingly, on April 3, the petitioners’ counsel informed the GHCKB that they are “taking appropriate steps” to challenge the subsequent absorption of the Assistant Professors into service.
The submission came after senior counsel representing the private respondents (Assistant Professors) contended in Court on March 21 that, during the pendency of the writ petitions, almost all of them had been ‘absorbed into the post’ of Assistant Professor.
Since the challenge in the writ petitions was against their appointment on a contractual basis, the writ petitions have become infructuous or unnecessary, the senior counsel had argued.
However, the petitioners’ counsel then urged the Court for ten days’ time to make submissions on legal points regarding the contention raised by the learned senior counsel for the private respondents.
When the matter was heard again on April 3, the counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioners submitted that they are taking appropriate steps to challenge the absorption.
Accordingly, Justice Devashis Baruah listed the matter for further hearing on May 26.
As per the case background, the batch of petitions were initially filed in September 2023, challenging the appointment orders of Assistant Professors on a contractual basis.
The petitioners alleged that the appointments were made “through the backdoor” and that the Assistant Professors had been allowed to continue by extending their services from time to time without recourse to the selection process as required under the law.
Over 80 Assistant Professors in various government colleges and institutes are listed as private respondents in the case.
Similar case
Meanwhile, a more or less similar case, initially filed in December 2022, is concurrently being heard in the GHCKB.
The case initially involved the appointment of 34 other Assistant Professors. The petition alleged that these appointments were made by the State authorities without issuing any advertisements and that the Assistant Professors do not have the required qualifications.
During a hearing in November 2024, the Court listed the matter as a fixed item on November 19 and stated that an attempt would be made to dispose of the writ petition at the next hearing.
However, the matter is still pending. During the last hearing on March 30, at the request of both parties, the Court fixed the matter for April 16.
An interim order that the service of the Assistant Professors “shall not be regularised” was, however, extended till the next hearing.
Concerning the matter, the Nagaland NET Qualified Forum (NNQF), in an open letter to the Governor of Nagaland in January this year, urged his intervention in the ongoing regularisation of contractual Assistant Professors in the Higher Education Department.
The NNQF, which comprises NET/PhD qualified individuals eligible for the Common Educational Services Examination (CESE) under the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC), has expressed concerns over the fairness and legality of the process.
In the appeal, the NNQF noted that despite its representations to the department and the pendency of the cases, a notification dated December 18, 2024, emerged, indicating the absorption of contractual Assistant Professors into the department, prompting further concern among the forum’s members.
The forum called for an immediate halt to the absorption process and requested that age relaxation be considered for contractual employees, allowing them to participate in the CESE along with other aspirants in the future.
In light of this, the NNQF appealed to the Governor to ensure that the right to equal opportunity is upheld, and that any recruitment process in the Higher Education Department is transparent, fair, and in accordance with established procedures.
