Candidates from other states cannot be considered for reserved posts in state; High court quashes Kannur University appointment

KOCHI: The High Court has said that the reserved category candidates from other states cannot be considered in the reserved posts in the state. A division bench comprising Justice AK Jayashankaran Nambiar and Justice CP Mohammad Niaz issued the order while quashing the appointment of B Mohammad Ismail, a native of Karnataka, to the post of Assistant Professor reserved for Muslims in the IT department of Kannur University.

The court also directed the Kannur University to appoint Malappuram native Dr Abdul Haleem, who got the second rank, to the post within one month.

The qualifying examination was conducted on an all India basis as per the UGC guidelines. Mohammad Ismail, who got the first rank, got the appointment by producing an OBC certificate and a non-creamy layer certificate from Karnataka. Abdul Haleem argued that only those permanently residing in the state were eligible for the reservation appointment. He had filed an appeal after a single bench dismissed his petition.