Congress and BJP Governments must answer for recruitment irregularities
Shimla, 2September
The Communist Party of India (Marxist), Himachal Pradesh, has strongly opposed the proposed Bill seeking to transfer the recruitment of teachers in State Universities, including Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), from the respective universities to the State Public Service Commission. The Party said that such a move cannot be presented as a substitute for investigating corruption and irregularities in university recruitment. Instead of weakening the academic autonomy of HPU, the present Congress government must immediately order an independent judicial inquiry into the recruitment process and fix responsibility wherever violations are established.
The recently tabled CAG Compliance Audit Report No. 4 of 2025, covering the period ended March 2023, has raised serious questions about the functioning of HPU. The audit records that the University recruited 186 teachers during 2020–23. More seriously, the CAG observed that HPU had not carried out verification of EWS certificates, educational qualifications and other supporting documents from the concerned issuing authorities in respect of these appointments, as no records of such verification were made available to Audit.
The CAG has also pointed to specific violations of UGC regulations, including the appointment of an Assistant Professor who did not possess the required qualification on the closing date of applications and the appointment of a guest faculty member who did not fulfil the prescribed eligibility requirements. The audit further noted that the University’s explanation regarding document verification was not satisfactory, as verification from the respective issuing authorities was necessary to establish the authenticity of the certificates.
These findings cannot be reduced to a BJP-versus-Congress political controversy. Teacher recruitment at HPU has been accompanied by allegations and serious questions regarding political interference, institutional accountability and violations of recruitment norms under successive governments. The BJP government must answer for recruitment decisions and alleged irregularities during its tenure. At the same time, the present Congress government must explain why, despite repeatedly raising the issue of alleged illegal and irregular appointments while in opposition, it has not yet established an independent judicial mechanism to investigate the matter and fix responsibility. Accountability cannot change according to which political party is in power.
The Party therefore demands that the present Congress government constitute a time-bound judicial inquiry headed by a sitting or retired High Court judge into the much-discussed 186 appointments made during 2020–23. The inquiry should examine the eligibility of every appointee, verification of EWS and educational certificates, compliance with UGC regulations, the functioning of Screening-cum-Evaluation Committees and Selection Committees, the role of the Vice-Chancellor and other statutory authorities, and any political or administrative interference in the recruitment process.
The CAG has also recorded that HPU faced a 27–37 per cent faculty shortage during 2020–23, even while the University was undertaking recruitment. This makes it all the more important to establish whether the recruitment process was conducted strictly in accordance with law, UGC regulations and academic norms. The issue is not merely about individual appointments; it concerns the credibility of the University, the quality of higher education, the use of public money and the academic future of thousands of students.
CPI(M) also cautions the government against using alleged recruitment irregularities as a justification for curtailing university autonomy. If corruption, malpractice or violations of recruitment rules occurred, the remedy is investigation, prosecution and punishment of those responsible—not the transfer of the University’s academic recruitment powers to another bureaucratic institution. Such a move would merely shift the centre of recruitment authority rather than address the underlying causes of corruption. The government must strengthen transparent and accountable university governance instead of replacing institutional autonomy with administrative centralisation.
The Party demands that the Government place the entire matter before the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, make all relevant records available for scrutiny, take effective action on the CAG observations and initiate recovery and legal proceedings wherever financial or other wrongdoing is established.
CPI(M) makes it clear that neither the BJP nor the Congress can escape accountability. If recruitment rules were violated, those responsible must face the law irrespective of their political affiliation or the government under which the appointments were made. The issue should not be used for partisan political advantage; it must be addressed through an independent, transparent and legally credible investigation.
The Party therefore calls upon the state government to stop the proposed assault on HPU’s academic autonomy and instead order an independent judicial inquiry into the 186 appointments. The people of Himachal Pradesh, the teaching community and students have the right to know whether rules were violated, who was responsible, who benefited, who facilitated any irregularities, and why successive governments failed to take effective action.
Investigate the 186 appointments. Fix responsibility. Punish the guilty. But do not destroy the autonomy of Himachal Pradesh University in the name of fighting corruption.
