HC lifts stay on campus hiring by PSUs

Says Recruitment Was Done Based On Merit And Following Roster System

The Madras high courton Wednesday vacated a stay on campus recruitments by public sector undertakings (PSUs) in private institutions and the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. The stay was granted on a public interest petition which sought cancellation of the recruitment done by PSUs. 
    The first bench comprising Chief Justice MY Eqbal and Justice T S Sivagnanam, in its interim order, said that if the stay was allowed to continue, it would cause harassment to candidates selected before it was granted. However,thebenchsaid,for those appointed after the petition was filed, the matter would be decided only after the final order. “Much prejudice would be caused to candidates if they are not allowed to join the selected posts, since campus recruitment has been done based on merit and by following the roster system,” the bench said. 
    The bench cited an earlier order of the Kerala high court, which was subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court, on a petition filed by the Federation of Central Government SC/ST Employees (Kerala) seeking to quash the selection of management trainees by PSUs through campus recruitment.In itsorder on July 20, 2005, the division bench of the Kerala high court dismissed the petition holding that such campus recruitment would not offend Article 16(1) of the Constitution. On May 8, 2008, the Supreme Court declined to interfere with the high court order. 
    The PIL, filed by advocate M Palanimuthu, contended that PSUs, including Indian Oil Corporation, Isro and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, could not disregard job notifications and reservation rules governing them and that no recruitment could be done without affording equal opportunity to all eligible candidates. The petitioner said holding campus recruitments in private institutions was against public employment policy and sought the cancellation of all such recruitments that had already been made. 
    As per rules,Palanimuthu said, recruitment in PSUs should be done only through employment exchanges or through public advertisements inviting applications from eligible candidates from acrossthecountry.By recruiting candidates directly fromcollege campuses of late, PSUs were not only violating rules but also unwittingly contributing to the demand for private educational institutions which organize such placement drives, the petitioner said. 
    Equal opportunity in matters of public employment should not be denied to candidatesentitledto participatein the selection process. This process cannot be confined only to educational institutions organizing campus placements, he said. 
    The petitioner had said his representation to the authorities concerned did not evoke any response, leaving him with no choice except approaching the high court for remedy. He wanted all state and Central PSUs to be banned from participating or organizing campus recruitments in educational institutions.

Source: The Times of India dt 27-9-12