Ensure vacant posts are advertised timely, filled: High court to state govt
THE COURT ASKED THE STATE GOVT TO FILL VACANCIES EXPEDITIOUSLY AS IT AFFECTED TEACHING OF STUDENTS
PRAYAGRAJ : Taking serious note of vacant posts in state medical colleges, the Allahabad high court has directed the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government to make sincere efforts to ensure that senior level faculty posts are timely advertised in all medical colleges and vacancies are filled expeditiously as it directly affects teaching of students.
Disposing of a writ petition filed by Dr Yasmeen Usmani, Justice Alok Mathur further directed that a copy of this order shall be communicated to the principal secretary, medical education, UP by the chief standing counsel, representing the state government.
Petitioner Dr Yasmeen Usmani is a professor in the radio diagnosis department and is presently posted at Shaikh-UlHind Maulana Mahmood Hasan Medical College, Saharanpur.
By an order dated August 24, 2021, passed by the state government, she was directed to perform duties for four days a week at the medical college, Meerut, and in Saharanpur for the remaining two days.
She challenged the said order before the high court where her counsel submitted that the piquant situation had arisen on account to the fact that between both the medical colleges, the petitioner is only the professor in the radio diagnosis department and consequently due to acute shortage of vacancy of specialist in the field of radio diagnosis department, the services of the petitioner had been divided in the two medical colleges.
It was submitted that being a woman commuting 150km twice a week was burdensome for the petitioner and consequently requested that she may be permitted to resume and continue with her services at medical college, Meerut.
However, the state counsel supported the aforesaid order stating that the same had been passed in the public interest as well as in the interest of the patients and consequently she was the only professor in the radio diagnosis department, hence she had been asked to perform the duties for four days in a week at Meerut and two days at Saharanpur.
Disposing of the petition, the court directed the petitioner to make a fresh representation before principal secretary, medical education, government of UP, Lucknow, within two weeks which shall be considered and decided in accordance with law expeditiously within a period of four weeks thereafter and communicate the decision to the petitioner.
While passing the above directives in its order dated December 20 (Monday), the court observed, “This court has an opportunity to notice the present situation where at such senior level in two medical colleges, there is acute shortage of senior staff including post of Professor in the Radio-Diagnosis Department, which has led to passing of the aforesaid order. It also transpires that the said situation is in existence since at least 2018 and for the last two years not much efforts have been made to make fresh appointments to the post of Professor in the Radio-Diagnosis Department and even in case the efforts have been made, they have not been successful in filling the vacancy”.