The Kerala High Court has stayed Calicut University’s move to appoint temporary assistants for exam-related duties at its Pareeksha Bhavan.
The interim order by Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. on Thursday follows a petition filed by Mohammed Noufal, a native of Moonniyur in Malappuram district, who urged the court to direct the university to make the appointments from the rank list for university assistants prepared by the Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC). Mr. Noufal is an engineering graduate.
It was reported that 100 persons were proposed to be appointed on a temporary basis for jobs such as false numbering of answer scripts and packing of question papers.
Applications had been invited from residents of three grama panchayats around the university campus, who are aged below 36 and are graduates, and a rank list was prepared.
The petition pointed out that though the institution had claimed that they were temporary appointments, their tenure was likely to be extended.
The university had decided to regularise the services of people appointed on temporary basis earlier. Mr. Noufal said non-teaching staff were being appointed on contract basis, because permanent appointments to such posts could be made only through the KPSC. George Poonthottam, senior lawyer, appeared for the petitioner.
Dissent expressed
P. Rasheed Ahammed, UDF-aligned Syndicate member, had expressed his dissent during the meeting that discussed the issue.
He had also written to the Governor, who is also the Chancellor of universities, to cancel the move and stop the appointments.
