Allahabad HC seeks details of vacant professor posts in UP Govt medical colleges
Uttar Pradesh: The Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh Director General, Medical Education and Training, to file an affidavit detailing vacant professor posts across all government medical colleges in the state, amid concerns over the continued reliance on contractual and ad hoc appointments.
The directive was issued by Justice Siddharth Nandan on September 22 while hearing a writ petition filed by the principal-cum-professor of Government College of Nursing, Badaun.
The affidavit must provide details of requisitions sent for vacant posts, advertisements issued, their current status and reasons for posts remaining unadvertised despite requisitions. The court has also sought details on whether posts being held by officiating principals have been advertised.
According to news reports, during the hearing, the state government counsel informed the court that the proposed “Uttar Pradesh Nursing College, Teacher, Service Rules, 2026 (Draft)” had been prepared and forwarded to the government for approval. The rules are intended to pave the way for regular selection to teaching posts in nursing colleges.
Taking note of the appointment situation, the court observed that there was a “pathetic state of affairs regarding appointments” and directed the government to accord priority to the draft rules so that regular selections could be conducted at the earliest.
The case arose from the petitioner's challenge to an order dated June 3, 2025, cancelling his contractual appointment. The cancellation followed a government order issued on April 15, 2022, which restricted contractual appointments beyond three years.
The petitioner's counsel argued that an ad hoc employee cannot be replaced by another ad hoc employee and can only be replaced by a regularly selected candidate, relying on the Supreme Court's 2022 judgment in Manish Gupta and another Vs. President, Jan Bhagidari Samiti and others.
The High Court directed that the petitioner should not be compelled to relinquish his post or be relieved. While upholding the three-year limit on contractual appointments, the court observed that keeping employees on an ad hoc basis for an indefinite period could not serve the interests of justice or medical institutions.
“Continuing the said ad hoc period for a virtually indefinite period also cannot be in the interest of justice or the medical institution itself, as the possibility of exploitation of the said contractual employees cannot be ruled out,” the court observed. Referring to the Supreme Court's 2024 judgment in Jaggo Vs. Union of India, the court further noted that such a practice had been held to violate Article 14 of the Constitution, reports Hindustan Times.
The court was informed that more than 500 posts across Uttar Pradesh were being filled on a contractual basis, while only around 2 to 3% had been converted to regular appointments.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on October 13.
