State can offer contractual jobs of junior assistant : HC

Legal Correspondent

Shimla, May 21

The HP High Court has given liberty to the state government to offer appointments to the selected candidates for the post of Junior Office Assistant strictly in the order of merit on contract basis provided that such candidates are possessing qualification as per Recruitment & Promotional Rules.

While passing this direction, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Sandeep Sharma further clarified in its order that these appointments would be stop-gap arrangement and subject to final outcome of the petitions and not against regular posts.

The court passed this order on a bunch of petitions filed by some of the candidates challenging the process of appointments on the ground that while announcing the result for 556 posts of Junior Office Assistants the Staff Selection Commission had committed irregularity on the pretext of qualifications of the candidates.

The court also directed the state to constitute a committee of experts to examine equivalence of academic/technical qualification within two weeks, which would examine issues regarding recognition or genuineness of the qualification, which are claimed to be equivalent or higher than those prescribed under the Recruitment & Promotion Rules for this post.

Passing this direction the court listed the matter for further hearing on June 17.