KOCHI: The high court has issued a strong directive to the state government asking it to stop the regularisation of temporary staff. The verdict of the division bench of Kerala high court also asked the chief secretary to issue mandatory guidelines to departments concerned in this regard.

The court issued the order, rejecting the petition of Tom Thomas and Joy Joseph in which they pleaded before the court to recommend the government for the regularisation of their temporary jobs in the Institute of Human Resource Development (IHRD). The high court single bench also has also rejected their plea earlier.

The petitioners have demanded the regularisation of their employment as the government has regularised certain persons employed at IHRD. However, the high court made it clear that the Supreme Court has said that a person cannot claim regularisation of his temporary job, just because he is working in that post for years.

Supreme Court in the Umadevi case has said that temporary government workers employed in government departments, govt-controlled departments, PSUs, Corporations, Autonomous institutions like local self-government bodies, Special purpose vehicles cannot be regularised. The Supreme Court verdict is also applicable for government institutions in the state. Therefore the high court has asked these institutions and their chiefs to stop regularisation in government institutions.