Shillong: The High Court of Meghalaya has ordered North-Eastern Hill University to review its staffing vacancies. Justice Hamarsan Singh Thangkhiew delivered the mandate following a petition from the All NEHU Workers’ Union. Union members have worked at the school for up to 30 years.
The union argued that 201 members currently fill positions within the Group-C cadre. They claimed these appointments were irregular rather than illegal. Union president Napoleon S Mawphniang led the push for regularization. The court found that a blanket denial of these claims was unjust.
NEHU opposed the plea. They cited a 2013 court ruling that rejected similar requests from casual staff. University lawyers insisted these workers never followed proper recruitment procedures. They argued these individuals were never hired against sanctioned posts.
Recent RTI data tells a different story. It shows 24 vacant Group-B posts and 185 vacant Group-C posts. The court noted that, "the realities of administration often result in workers serving for decades under temporary arrangements."
A new committee must now assess the university's sanctioned strength against current vacancies. The panel will include an officer nominated by the Executive Council plus senior finance and administrative staff. This review must wrap up within six months.
The judge handed the union a temporary victory. No workers involved in the petition can be fired until the review ends.
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