New Delhi: The Kerala State Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (KSCSCST) has directed the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) authorities to conform to constitutional reservation policies for SC/STs in faculty appointment.
The order comes in response to the petitions filed by Russel MP, member of Pattika Jathi Samithi and advocate, F Vinod against the medical institute, which was not observing the government-mandated reservation policies in their recruitment to group ‘A’ (academic and administrative) posts. These include posts of Professors, Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, Scientists and Engineers.
The Commission found that the institute, functioning under the Department of Science and Technology, flouted the reservation norms which are followed by peer institutes such as AIIMS under the Indian government.
On April 02, the institute issued a notification for appointment to a total of 38 vacancies for 36 different posts in the institute. The notificatin further stated that only one post among them was reserved for the OBC category while the rest were included in the ‘general’ category.
As News18.com earlier reported, an institute or organisation can only be expempted from providing reservations after receiving certification and approval from the governmet for the same. Therefore, the government has to certify the exemption (if duly approved) of any institute or organization from reservation norms through the release of special orders.
Though the SCTIMST administration had applied for exemption, the application is pending with the government and no such order that allows the institute to flout reservation policies, exists.
Taking strict note of the violation, the Chairman of the SC ST Commission emphasized in its April 21 order that the institute is bound to obey the same rules enforced by the Constitution in this matter as those followed by AIIMS. The order was issued by Chairman BS Maoji and member Sajeev Kumar.
The claim by Sree Chitra authorities on an existing case in the high court corroborating their reservation agendas has been dismissed as inadequate by the Commission, “as the case points to recruitment conducted by the institute in 2015 and is not the subject matter of the presently received petition.”
PS Krishnan former secretary to Ministry of Welfare has written to the institute in the light of the Commison’s order, asking it to “act on the order of the state Commission.”
Krishnan had earlier written to the minister of Science and Technology, Harsh Vardhan, regarding the issue and will be writing to him again folloing the Commission’s order.
“The head of the institute should put his foot down, withdraw the notification and issue another one in the affirming to the principles of social justice. The ministry should convey to the institute that there is no exemption from implementing the policy. Action must be taken against those responsible for faltering on the reservation policy in such a devious and daring manner,” said Krishnan.
“We are aware of the order from the state SC ST Commission but are waiting for clarification from the Department of Science and Technology over the exemption from reservation. We are already giving entry level reservations in the Group A category, which includes engineering sector,” a spokesperson of the Kerala institution told News18.
Comments
0 comment