The Telangana High Court has told EFLU (English and Foreign Languages University) that the recent faculty appointments made by the university could be subject to its judgement in a separate petition challenging them on the grounds that proper reservation criteria were not followed. While hearing a petition filed by a PhD scholar contesting that 27% quota for OBCs was not followed in the recruitment notification for appointment of professors, assistant professors and associate professors, the court issued an interim directive that the appointments already made will be subject to the outcome of the petition. EFLU has been asked to inform selected candidates about the case.
The court was hearing a petition filed by K Pavani, a PhD scholar who had applied for the post of assistant professor (mass communication and journalism) and his application had been rejected, according to Deccan Chronicle. The petitioner reportedly contended the legal validity of the faculty recruitment notification issued for 238 sanctioned posts of professors, assistant professors and associate professors, of which only eight were specified by the university as reserved for OBC candidates.
Earlier, the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) had imposed a stay on the recruitment process. EFLU had challenged the stay in court, and a division bench ruled in favour of EFLU stating that the NCBC did not have the powers to halt recruitment. However, the bench had not commented on the university not following OBC reservations in faculty recruitment, according to The Times of India. EFLU’s counsel informed the court that after the division bench had vacated the stay imposed by NCBC, the selections were completed and appointment letters were sent out to candidates.
Justice B Vijayasen Reddy gave the interim direction that the selections will be subject to the judgement in the petition filed by Pavani, posting the hearing to October 21. EFLU has been asked to give a list of candidates to the petitioner and to inform all selected candidates about the ongoing case against their appointments.