In the latest development, Jawaharlal Nehru University's vice-chancellor, professor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, affirmed that no posts within the university had been dereserved, emphasising the institution's commitment to upholding reservation policies.
VC Mrs Pandit, in an official statement, reiterated the university's stance, stating, "As the VC, I want to reiterate to all stakeholders that no posts in JNU have been dereserved. We have got very good candidates under the reserved category. In the 54-year-old history of JNU, the highest number of reserved category faculty have been recruited during my tenure as VC, and we are proud of implementing the constitutional guarantees under the Reservation policy as stipulated by MoE, GOI."
This assertion by the JNU VC aligns with the recent clarification from the Education Ministry, emphasising that no reserved posts can be dereserved, as outlined in the draft guidelines by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
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The ministry on Sunday directed all Central Educational Institutions (CEIs) to fill vacancies strictly in accordance with the 2019 ACT.
The ministry said that reservation in CEIs is provided for all posts in direct recruitment in the Teacher's cadre as per the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers' Cadre) Act, 2019.
University Grants Commission Chairperson M Jagadeesh Kumar said, "This is to clarify that there has been no de-reservation of reserved category positions in Central Educational Institutions (CEI) in the past, and there will be no such de-reservation in the future. It is important for all higher education institutions to ensure that all backlog positions in the reserved category are filled through concerted efforts."
The UGC draft guidelines, released in the last week of Decemer, sought suggestions and feedback till January 28.
The guidelines say: "A vacancy reserved for SC or ST or OBC cannot be filled by a candidate other than an SC or ST or OBC candidate, as the case may be. However, a reserved vacancy may be declared unreserved by following the pro cedure of de-reservation where after, it can be filled as an unreserved vacancy."
The circular from the Department of Personnel and Training states that a vacancy reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), or Other Backward Classes (OBCs) cannot be filled by a candidate other than an SC, ST, or OBC candidate, as the case may be. "However, a reserved vacancy may be declared unreserved by following the procedure of de-reservation as given below; therefore, it can be filled as an unreserved vacancy," it adds.
The circular states that in "rare and exceptional cases," when a vacancy in a Group A position cannot remain vacant on account of public interest.
"The proposal for de-reservation in the case of Group C or D should go to the Executive Council of the University, and in the case of Group A or B, it should be submitted to the Ministry of Education, providing full details, for necessary approval," the guidelines states.
"After receiving approval, the post may be filled, and reservation may be carried forward."