Indore: The assistant professor recruitment process, which was under taken by Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC) after a gap of two decades, remained in troubled waters since applications were invited in 2014. The exam for appointments was cancelled twice and suspended once before it was finally held in July last year.
But now, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has stayed issuing of joining letters to candidates selected by MPPSC following a petition claiming that reservation roaster was not followed during the selection process. After a wait for nearly two decades, the MPPSC had invited applications for filling about 1,650 posts of assistant professors in 2014, but the recruitment process was cancelled in September in 2015 following some eligibility related issues.
The process was resumed with Department of Higher Education (DHE) adding more vacancies and taking the number up 2,371 posts. These vacancies were again advertised in 2016 by the MPPSC and exam was fixed on August 22. But, the eligibility criteria decided for the post, made thousands of PhD holders, who obtained their degrees before July 2009, ineligible which led to protests forcing the state government to cancel the exam again.
To resolve the issue, the MPPSC held State Eligibility Test (SET) 2017 so that the PhD holders, who were rendered ineligible for the assistant professor’s posts, could be become eligible on the basis of SET. When the appointment process was started again post-SET, the controversy erupted over discrimination of age criteria set differently for the candidates from the state and outside. Following the orders by the court, the appointment process was postponed. The age issue was addressed about in 2018 and finally the exam was held in July last year.
And when everyone thought that now nothing would happen as selections have been made, the violation of reservation roaster issue was raised and the stay on issuance of joining letters was granted by the court. The selected candidates may have to wait for long to get joining. The court may also cancel their selection.
