The recent judgement of the Orissa High Court staying the appointment of ad-hoc lecturers in the Ravenshaw University brings to limelight the bane of ad-hoc appointments in the State.
Of late, various Government and autonomous bodies are resorting to ad-hoc appointments on various pleas. The Ravenshaw University had advertised for 141 posts in June 2014. Due to various loopholes and illegalities in the advertisement, it was quashed by the High Court in December 2015.
The 141 posts along with additional 15 posts were advertised again in January 2016. And again due to various irregularities and violation of UGC rules, the advertisement was also stayed by the High Court in April 2016.
These concatenations of events strengthen the suspicion that ad-hoc or contractual appointments, which are made without following the rules and procedures of regular recruitment, are made to provide backdoor entry into public employment.
Another such instance is the appointment of ad-hoc teachers by the Department of Higher Education.
Assuming delay in recruitment by the OPSC, the department went in for ad-doc appointments of 272 Junior lecturers and 352 lecturers in 2014 purely on the basis of career assessment without following the rules and procedures for regular recruitment.
The department also went in for regular recruitment of 272 Junior lecturers and 352 lecturers through the OPSC. As per the terms and conditions of ad-hoc appointment, the appointees’ services were to be terminated on the recommendation of regular appointees by the OPSC or on the completion of one year, whichever is earlier.
However, despite recommendation of Junior lecturers and lecturers in various disciplines and completion of one year from the date of joining of the ad-hoc appointees, their appointment hasn’t been terminated.
Without any apparent reason, the term of ad-hoc appointees has been extended for another year.
Further, due to various loopholes and illegalities in the advertisement published by the OPSC and the selection procedure adopted therein, the regular recruitment for 352 lecturers in some disciplines has been stayed for the last three years in the OAT by applicants who are mostly ad-hoc lecturers only to gain time to bargain with the Government for regularisation of their appointments.
Ad-hoc appointments and their subsequent regularisation are a violation of the rule of equality in public appointment which is a basic feature of the Constitution. Ironically, the National law University, Odisha (NlUO), where such violation of laws is least expected, has also been appointing Assistant Professors on contractual basis and extending their contract annually without going in for regular recruitment.
It is a great injustice to eligible candidates and aspirants of regular recruitment if positions of public appointment are doled out without any competitive written test or viva voce to usually less meritorious candidates in a surreptitious manner.