Centre to file SLP in SC against department-wise quota in hiring varsity, college faculty

An inter-ministerial committee of the Central Government has recommended filing a special leave petition in the Supreme Court seeking review of its decision on reservation in appointment of teachers in universities and colleges.

The committee's recommendation came after a day-long meeting here on Monday, official sources told DH.

"The committee has also recommended  keeping in  abeyance the UGC order which requires all higher education institutions to fill up vacant positions of faculty members and implement reservation rules in appointment department-wise," sources added.

The Centre had last week set up the inter-ministerial committee under University Grants Commission Chairman D P Singh.

The move came after a parliamentary standing committee expressed its concern about revised regulations of the UGC.

The inter-ministerial committee comprised senior officials from the ministries of Law, HRD, Tribal Social Justice and Empowerment and Department of Personnel and Training.

UGC recently notified its revised rules, stipulating calculation of teaching positions for each department and providing department-wise quota for SC/ST candidates.

Fresh roster

It also directed the vice chancellors of all universities to prepare "fresh rosters" within one month of the notification of the amended rules.

Earlier, the UGC rules provided for   reservation on the basis of the total number of posts sanctioned for a university or a college.

The change in rules came about a year after the Allahabad High Court ordered treating an institution's department as a unit for providing reservation for SC/ST candidates in appointment of faculty, instead of the   institution as a unit.

The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's verdict that came in April 2017.