NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday took a popular stance against the backdoor appointments taking place in the country. The court, which pointed out that backdoor appointments were disgusting, observed that such actions were violating the guidelines of the constitution and reservation principles. The apex court made the crucial intervention while quashing the petitions filed by various trade unions of the country seeking the court to direct the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) to stabilize 11,000 part-time employees.

If it is proposed to stabilize temporary employees without meeting the recruitment criteria, it is tantamount to backdoor appointment. Government appointments must be made in a fair and transparent manner in accordance with the constitutional provisions, the court said. However, the apex court also directed that benefits, including compensation, be paid to eligible employees. The apex court also constituted a two-member panel comprising former Allahabad High Court judge PKS Baghel and former district judge Rajeev Sharma to identify and provide benefits to eligible part-time employees. Compensation should be paid within 3 months of receiving the report of the committee.

Reservation and equal opportunity will be subverted

The trade unions had sought the court to direct that those appointed on a part-time basis in the LIC between May 20, 1985 and March 1991 be made permanent. A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Suryakant and Vikram Nath said that appointments can be made in LIC only in accordance with Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution. The court also ruled that part-time employees could not be made permanent in place of the recruitment process which was in line with the principles of reservation and giving equal opportunity to all.