‘Recruitment annulled, but 6 appointed later’

COIMBATORE: The Bharathiar University allegedly appointed six faculty members in 2015, despite the Higher Education Department’s directive to annul the recruitment process in 2012. The department’s move came after allegations that the rule of reservation was not followed. The university syndicate at that time accepted the government’s directive and the same was communicated in a case challenging the selection process in the Madras High Court. However, subsequently, the university appointed six faculty members for the posts based on the same recruitment announcement.

Now, the Bharathiar University SC/ST Teachers and Staffs Welfare Association has knocked the doors of the High Court and the National Commission for Scheduled Caste, seeking their intervention.
According to university sources, an advertisement for recruitment of 35 faculty positions was released in September 2010 and the selection process was initiated.

The Bharathiar University SC/ST Teachers and Staff Welfare Association challenged the recruitment process saying the rule of reservation was not followed properly, the sources said. Following that, the then Secretary of Higher Education Department directed the university syndicate to reconsider selection process of 35 posts, to stop further processing and to start a fresh recruitment process.
It also declared that the earlier selection, for which appointments were not made, was annulled and not binding.

When the SC /ST Association filed a case in the Madras High Court, in a counter affidavit in October 2012, the then Vice Chancellor G James Pitchai said that the letter of the government was placed before the syndicate for consideration and that after detailed deliberation, the syndicate resolved to implement the above instruction of the government, subject to the order to be passed by the court.

But, a few years later, in April and October 2015, the university headed by then Vice Chancellor G James Pitchai, appointed six faculty members in Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics and Physics departments, based on the same annulled selection process.

V-C reacts

The present V-C A Ganapathy said that as per his knowledge, the six persons approached the court and based on the court direction, they were appointed