Hyderabad HC faults Telangana for appointment of 550 artistes by nomination

HYDERABAD: Finding fault with the Telangana government for approving the appointment of 550 persons as artistes on nomination basis by the Telangana Samskruthika Samithi, a division bench of the High Court on Tuesday directed the government to issue a notification for filling the posts in the next three weeks and to complete the entire selection process within three months. The bench made it clear that the present artists may continue till the completion of the said appointment process.

The bench passed the order on a PIL filed by Jukanti Ramesh and two others seeking suspension of the orders of appointment of the 550 persons as they were appointed without issue of any notification. The petitioners’ counsel contended that the Telangana Samskruthika Samithi had taken 550 persons into government service on nomination basis and the government  approved such appointments in Feb 2015.

Each person is being paid a monthly salary of ` 24,514. In fact, there is no provision or scope in the law for having such en masse appointments into government service i.e. state cultural department, on nomination basis and without issuance of a recruitment notification. No applications were invited from eligible candidates, he said.

Additional advocate-general J Ramachandra Rao said that the 550 persons were appointed on a consolidated pay and were appointed to create awareness among the citizens of Telangana on segregation of waste.

The bench said that there was no rationale behind the procedure followed by the authorities in the selection of artistes and they were picked at the whim of the authority of Telangana Samskruthika Samithi. Though the appointments were made on nomination basis they were being paid salaries from the public exchequer. Besides, if the posts were filled with direct appointments then the meritorious unemployed candidates would be deprived of their opportunity.