In a significant step, the Meghalaya High Court has halted all state government employment processes until a roster system is implemented. The absence of a roster system, according to a bench led by Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee, is a “deplorable state of affairs” that allows for nepotism, arbitrariness, and worse forms of subversion.
The court said during a hearing on Tuesday that “future recruitment processes for all posts in the State would remain stayed in the sense that no further appointments will be made until the roster system is implemented.”
“Wherever the reservation policy is in effect in the State, this will apply across State government agencies and instrumentalities,” it continued.
The absence of a roster system, despite 50 years of statehood and an equal number of years of reservation in government jobs, was “alarming,” according to the court.
“In the course of a recent affair, this Bench was forced to raise a concern as to how the reservation policy could be enforced without a roster,” it said.
According to the Meghalaya High Court, “This portion of the case will be treated as a suo motu public interest lawsuit. Upon further investigation, it is determined that the same worrisome aspect has existed in the matter of recruitment at this High Court for the past decade. There are no lists referring to posts for any assessment of what category of individuals should be recruited next, according to a learned attorney for the State “
The state government’s attorney general, Amit Kumar, acknowledged that reservation cannot be enforced without a roster. The case will be heard again on April 20, according to the court.
Meanwhile, in light of the High Court’s decision on the roster system, the Meghalaya Public Service Commission has halted all interviews until further notice.
