Nagaland’s Cabinet panel recommends termination in some NSF-flagged appointment cases, including posts filled without advertisement and appointments made despite a recruitment ban
-1791805759127.webp&w=1200&q=75)
KOHIMA — A Cabinet sub-committee has recommended termination of appointments made against unsanctioned posts and posts under the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) without open advertisement, among 107 cases flagged by the Naga Students' Federation (NSF).
The panel has also called for action against appointments made in defiance of a government ban on fresh recruitment in April 2020.
The recommendations will be placed before the Cabinet for a final decision, Advisor for School Education Dr. Kekhrielhoulie Yhome said after a meeting between the sub-committee and the NSF in Kohima on Monday.
The federation had submitted 109 entries for scrutiny, but two were duplicates, leaving 107 cases. Yhome said the committee had furnished the relevant documents and classified the appointments according to the circumstances in which they were made.
Of the cases examined, 19 involved employees appointed around 30 to 33 years ago whose services were being regularised under government policy.
Also read: Naga Students' Federation warns of protest over ‘backdoor appointments’
Yhome said these cases had to be distinguished from appointments made in violation of government orders.
The panel recommended termination in 12 cases involving appointments against posts under the NPSC without open advertisement, as well as three appointments against unsanctioned posts. Four other cases involving improper procedures had already resulted in termination, he said.
The remaining 69 cases required further consideration. These included 22 appointments made despite the government’s April 21, 2020, ban on fresh recruitment, imposed as part of austerity measures during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Those 22 appointments fell under the Temporary PIMS category and were also among 786 appointments identified by the government as having been made in violation of the ban, Yhome said.
But undoing appointments already made could prove more complicated, with Yhome warning that termination orders could lead to prolonged litigation, drawing on his experience in the School Education department, where he had encountered 178 court cases relating to service matters after taking charge.
He argued that the government could not treat every appointment alike. While some had been made under applicable rules and government orders, others had disregarded standing instructions. The circumstances of each case would have to be examined before a decision was taken, he said.
Yhome also called for accountability among officials who authorised appointments in violation of government orders. Departmental directors and other appointing authorities were responsible for ensuring compliance, he said.
Some officials responsible for such appointments had died, while others had retired and were drawing pensions. Yhome suggested that the government consider reviewing the pensions of officials found responsible, while making it clear that this was his personal opinion and not the government's position.
Irregular appointments, he said, not only denied deserving candidates a fair opportunity but also created financial liabilities for the state.
The NSF has pursued the issue since 2019, when it submitted a representation to the chief minister seeking an end to departmental examinations and adherence to proper recruitment procedures. Yhome credited the federation with helping bring the Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB) into existence.
Since the appointment of its chairperson in February 2022, the NSSB has conducted eight examination cycles, resulting in 1,511 appointments, he said.
The board had strengthened transparency in recruitment to Group C posts, where backdoor appointments were now under control, he added.
Yhome estimated that only 6% to 8% of government appointments went through the NPSC, with the bulk of recruitment to Group C posts handled by the NSSB.
The School Education department, however, continued to face problems inherited from past recruitment practices, including excess teachers and appointments of people without the required qualifications, he said.
He also pointed to the government's decision to integrate 367 teachers appointed under the centrally sponsored Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) into regular service. Nagaland had 5,008 teachers under centrally sponsored schemes, he said, leaving many outside regular government service despite the integration.
The Cabinet sub-committee was constituted this year after the NSF approached the government through the chief secretary. Yhome said the panel had explained the applicable procedures to the federation, while the Personnel and Administrative Reforms department had been asked to furnish documents in some cases. Other cases would await a Cabinet decision.