Stay on regularisation of services of guest, part-time lecturers

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has stayed regularisation of services of any parttime, ad hoc, or guest lecturers, and others recruited to the post of lectures other than by the regular selection process in Punjab colleges.

The HC bench of justice Amol Rattan Singh added that the state government will not resort to invoking any statute which allows regularisation of such services and issue letters to those working against such designations. The court acted on a plea which highlighted that regularisation of any person not recruited through the regular recruitment process, should not be allowed.

The order was passed as senior advocate Rajwinder Singh Bains told court that government is in the process of regularising the service of such people, whereas there are people seeking appointment by the way of regular selection after due advertisements for the posts. “Many such people are working against college cadre posts, where only Punjab Public Service Commission makes recruitments. However, for years, regular recruitment is not being made and these persons are being allowed to continue. Now, attempts are being made to regularise them,” Bains said.

The matter is pending before court since 2011, when some petitioners had alleged that they are qualified for the post of lecturers but some of the employees, who are not even qualified, are being allowed to work.

It was further alleged that the state has acted in a mala fide manner just to deprive the eligible to be appointed on posts for which they are qualified. Bains said a committee had recommended that those working against such designations be regularised. The government was in the process of regularising the services after the recommendation. The petitioners had challenged a fresh attempt by the state to regularise these appointments, he said.

The court, while fixing the matter for July 1, told the state’s counsel to convey the order to the authorities concerned immediately, and added that any noncompliance will be viewed as ‘contemptuous’. The order was passed on Wednesday and made available on Saturday.