Delay in K'taka govt first grade college asst professors’ appointment frustrates candidates
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has been delaying the appointment of the candidates recruited as assistant professors for government first grade colleges despite all procedures for the appointment being completed already.
The procrastination in issuing the orders has vexed the recruited candidates who have already seen not only a change in government in the state but also two major elections while waiting to get their dream jobs.
The state government had issued a notification through the Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) in 2021, to fill the 1,242 posts vacant in 430 government first grade colleges in Karnataka. All the required processes, including submitting applications, conducting examination and publishing the results, have been completed as notified. The names of the 1,208 candidates recruited out the 1,242 final applicants, was declared on March 3, 2023, although the list of the names is not published in the official gazette. In addition, verification of the medical condition of the candidates, authenticity of their marks cards and Kannada medium and rural reservation certificates, issue of conduct certificate as well as police verification have been completed.
The candidates are also required to have validation certificates (sindhutva) that confirm their caste and income to finalize their selection for a post. So far, the eligibility of more than 800 candidates, including those selected under general merit, has been confirmed and the validation certificates of approximately 600 candidates have been submitted to the Department of Collegiate Education.
The selected candidates and various organizations have been submitting requests to the government to publish the list of eligible candidates in the official gazette and also to issue the order copies to the candidates. The government, however, is yet to issue the appointment orders, which has been worrying the candidates.
As the recruitment process took three consecutive years, the academic status of students too has been affected. The classes were not completed within the scheduled time, forcing the students of government first grade colleges to depend solely on guest lecturers.
The BJP government, which was in power when the notification for the posts was issued, had delayed the recruitment process by two years. Further, in 2023, the election code of conduction during the Karnataka Assembly polls impeded the process. The new Congress government in Karnataka too has been neglecting the matter, in spite of many suits being filed at the Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal (KSAT), which has resolved all the concerned issues and cleared every impediment for the issuing of order copies to the selected candidates.
KP Madhusudan, convener of the assistant professor candidates' association, has said that the recruitment process, which was started in 2021, is yet to be completed, even after three years. He urged the state government to issue the notification of the appointment order by May-end at the latest.
Dr. MC Sudhakar, Minister of Higher Education, told Vartha Bharati that the model code of conduct had been enforced on account of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections and the state government would take steps to issue the order copies to the selected candidates after the election results were declared.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
