UGC embargo on postings to hit applicants

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the University Grants Commission (UGC) declaring an embargo on filling teaching posts in varsities across the country, uncertainty has gripped thousands of applicants in the state. Mahatma Gandhi University has suspended ongoing interviews to several assistant professor posts.
“The appointment of those who already joined from the list of candidates chosen by the varsity would remain valid.Since the UGC has decided to wait for the Supreme Court’s final verdict on appointment of teaching faculty, MG University has put on hold selection processes,” university sources said.
The university had notified the posts by considering the total number of vacant posts as a single unit and thereby following institution-wise reservation to fill vacant faculty positions.
The Supreme Court is set to announce its verdict on a petition filed by the Union government, challenging the SC order that upheld an Allahabad HC verdict which said that vacancies should be calculated department-wise. While several universities are of the view that department-wise calculation of vacancies would deny due reservation benefits to candidates belonging to SC/ST and OBC categories, the Allahabad HC and the Supreme Court have backed institution-wise calculation of vacancies.
Following allegations that reservation norms would go for a toss when departments are considered as single units, many states, including Kerala, had amended the universities’ Act, directing universities to calculate institution-wise vacancy.
However, this too had created practical difficulties in Kerala University, leading to litigation. When posts were calculated institution-wise, it has been alleged that candidates eligible for reservation would not get entry in certain departments and in some other departments, only candidates with reservation rights would get appointed.