Orders that are putting candidates through hell

The judgment passed by the High Court Division Bench regarding KSEB meter reader and spot biller posts is an evidence of how big a blow some of the orders issued by the government without looking at the law will be to the youth who are waiting for a job. It is illegal to later add the conditions not included in the notification for the selection of candidates for the vacancies. Hundreds of candidates have been humiliated by the failure shown by those who check all this and prepare the order.

The notification for the selection of meter readers in the electricity board came in January 2015. 8th class pass and National Trade Certificate from ITI were set as qualifications. There were thousands of applicants. A PSC exam was conducted and the rank list was released in 2021. The rank list consisted of engineering graduates and diploma holders. All these people entered the rank list on the strength of the interim order issued by the government that those with these qualifications can be considered for the post of meter reader.

Some went to court against the appointment of persons with qualification not specified in the notification. The court ruled that only NTC certificate holders should be considered for this post. This means that all these ineligible candidates, not only from the list but also those who have already been appointed, will be dropped. The 200 people who have received the appointment recommendation from the PSC and are waiting for the job, can give up hope. Although over-qualification cannot be considered an offence, the order of appointment should be made only on the basis of the qualification mentioned in the notification.

The notification to recognize Electrical Diploma as a higher qualification of ITI was issued in January 2022. Are the officials in the PSC and the administrative center people who do not know that post-notification changes and additions are illegal even though there are strict criteria for appointments through the PSC? It is unfair to include highly qualified people in the vacancies reserved for ITI graduates only. It should be understood that the due diligence and sense of law were not properly observed while issuing the orders.

Many people had to become scapegoats for the serious failure on the part of the government. Everyone knows how difficult it is to get a government job these days. The emotional trauma and disappointment when a job is taken back unexpectedly can be unbearable. It may not matter to those who passed the controversial order but it will be a big blow to many families.

The fact that the selection of cadre posts in KAS, the state government's own service, is heading into a legal quagmire is also a proof that matters have been handled with carelessness. Instead of fixing 174 posts, the government reserved 105 posts for KAS. Ways are now being sought to overturn the judgment passed by the Administrative Tribunal against the government action. The government does not understand the danger of passing orders that are not in accordance with the law and regulations, no matter how many times they face setbacks.