The Supreme Court has cancelled the recruitment of 1,158 assistant professors in government colleges of Punjab. As per the court’s order, the next hearing will be held after six months.
The Supreme Court has quashed the appointments of 1,158 assistant professors and librarians in Punjab. The court overturned the decision made by the division bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in September 2024, which had validated the recruitment process.
The top court stated that the recruitment process was arbitrary and violated rules and legal norms. It added that the State Government had no valid justification to defend the process. The court directed the Punjab government to restart the recruitment process afresh, strictly in accordance with UGC guidelines.
It is to be noted that, the Punjab government failed to provide any valid justification for the appointments.
Notably, the recruitment process began in October 2021, when the Punjab Director of Higher Education issued a public notice inviting online applications for assistant professor posts in various subjects and for librarians, just ahead of the State Assembly elections.
Soon after the selection process was initiated, several candidates filed petitions, alleging irregularities in the merit-based evaluation. In response, inquiry panels were formed to investigate the complaints.
The Supreme Court has also questioned the States Government’s handling of the selection process and has now directed the state to initiate a fresh recruitment exercise in accordance with University Grants Commission (UGC) norms.
