Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University-Hyderabad (JNTU-H), which was all set to release notifications to fill up the 32 vacant professor posts by June-end, appears to have hit a roadblock. With the JNTU-H students union alleging that the recruitment process is violating the UGC norms for reservation, the Telangana State Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has directed the varsity to stall all process.
“Until now there was no reservation for recruitment to the post of professors. But now that the Commission has directed for the reservation to be applicable to these posts also, we have referred the matter to the government. The process will be started again after discussions with the government,” said Prof A Venugopal Reddy, vice-chancellor, JNTU-H.
On June 19, the ABVP-led students union had written to the Commission claiming that recruitment notifications violated the reservation norms which make it mandatory to implement the reservation policy at all levels of teaching staff recruitment. Further, it has also been argued that the AP Regulation of Reservations for appointments in Public Service Act 1997 also calls for “strict implementation of the Rule of Reservation in all appointments...applicable to all government Departments”.
“JNTU-H is following the AICTE regulation of 2016, which now stands nullified. It did not revise its notification for the recruitment of faculty as per the revised norms,” said J Dileep, a student.
A senior official of the varsity told Express that though central agencies issue guidelines, each State tweaks them as per their requirements by means of a GO. “Since 1997, we have given seven notifications without reservation for professors’ posts. Recently, JNTU, Anathapur also conducted recruitment without reservation. It is not like we have not followed the rules. We just wanted that since the classes are going to begin next month, there should be at least one professor in each department,” he said.
