BHUBANESWAR: The State government’s ongoing recruitment process for university teachers has received a jolt with the University Grants Commission (UGC) rasing serious objections to it. The UGC has flagged violation of the Supreme Court stay order on Odisha Universities (Amendment) Act, 2020 by Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC).
In separate letters to Secretary of OPSC and Commissioner-cum-Secretary of Higher Education department on Wednesday, UGC Secretary Prof Rajnish Jain said despite the stay order on the Act for three months, the OPSC is continuing recruitment to the post of assistant professors in the subjects of sociology and commerce for universities. This action violates the Supreme Court order, it stated.
The OPSC on May 24 had called for physical verification of documents/certificates of 186 candidates who have been selected for assistant professor (commerce) posts from June 6 to 18. Similarly on May 23, it had published selection of 12 candidates to the posts of assistant professor (sociology).
“Since the recruitment of teachers/faculty members by OPSC and the non-teaching staff by State Selection Board is directly in issue in the aforesaid SLPs pending before the Supreme Court, the continuation of the recruitment process will be in the teeth of the stay order dated 20.05.2022 granted by the Hon’ble Supreme Court,” the UGC Secretary said.
Jain has asked the State government to refrain from undertaking any further steps for such recruitment drives failing which, the UGC would take appropriate legal remedy in this regard. Sources in OPSC said the Commission will meet on Friday to seek legal opinion and plan the further course of action on the UGC letter. While the Orissa High Court had earlier upheld the amended Act, the apex court had issued a stay order for three months on it on May 20.
It has also asked the Odisha government to reply to the petition within three months. The UGC Secretary further said in the letters that the Supreme Court directive is also applicable to any recruitment that commenced prior to the stay order on May 20. Three days before the stay order, State government had handed out appointment letters to 639 lecturers and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced that 269 more faculty members would join soon.
Sources in both the OPSC and Higher Education department, however, said that the UGC directive will have no implication on the newly-recruited 639 lecturers. Principal Secretary of Higher Education department Saswat Mishra said the total 908 lecturers are not in dispute. These lecturers are and will be posted to aided colleges in the State and they have been duly selected by the State Selection Board.