Face2News/Chandigarh
The Sirsa MP, Former Union Cabinet Minister, General Secretary of All India Congress Committee and Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Kumari Selja said the case related to the recruitment of assistant professors at Indira Gandhi University, Meerpur, raises serious questions over the state’s higher education recruitment system. She said the Punjab and Haryana High Court verdict made it clear that if a candidate belonging to a reserved category is eligible to secure a place in the general category on the basis of merit, the candidate cannot be denied that opportunity. Reservation is a constitutionally guaranteed right of social justice and any attempt to weaken it cannot be accepted.
Kumari Selja said the candidate selected in the general category in the case had secured 37.91 marks, while some candidates from the Scheduled Caste category who had scored higher marks were left out of the selection. She said it was a serious matter that eligible youth had to approach the court to secure rights earned through their hard work and merit. The BJP government should explain why such a situation arose and why proper compliance with constitutional provisions was not ensured in the recruitment process.
She said the High Court’s directions regarding appointment on the basis of merit, review of the reservation system, protection of the interests of employees already working and granting eligible candidates seniority benefits as per rules were important. The state government should review the recruitment process in universities and higher educational institutions in accordance with the spirit of the verdict so that in future no eligible candidate from a reserved category has to approach the court to secure constitutional rights and the benefit of merit.
Kumari Selja said the rights of Dalits, backward and deprived sections were not a favour from any government but a gift of the Constitution. Congress remains committed to protecting social justice, equal opportunity and constitutional rights related to reservation. She said the BJP government must ensure that merit is respected in jobs, the full benefit of reservation is provided and no eligible youth faces injustice. Congress will continue to democratically oppose any step that weakens the Constitution and rights to social justice.
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