The state cabinet authorized the roster system for the implementation of the quota policy in Meghalaya on Tuesday, just days after the High Court of Meghalaya issued an admonition.
Following the discussion, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma told reporters that the subject would be heard before the high court on Wednesday. He explained, “The key element was to clear the roster.”
He gave the example of the government implementing a roster system for a 4% disability reservation (PwDs).
According to him, if there are 25 open positions, one will be allocated for people with disabilities, but if there are only 10 open positions, the PwDs will be left out. The 15th post will be saved for them if there are 15 total.
Sangma explained that the roster method ensures that the reservation regulation is followed to the letter.
In April, the high court authorized the state government three weeks to adopt the roster system in order to enforce the job reservation policy after hearing a petition. It halted all recruitment efforts until the state government implemented a roster system.
The court also reminded the state administration that the roster system only applies to entry-level positions unless promotion is guaranteed.
However, in general this system assigns responsibilities to group members, it must be overseen by someone with decision-making authority. When the decision-making authority is also allocated tasks under that system, the problem arises. The issue is the abuse of decision-making authority for any motive.
