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Supreme Court Quashes 1,158 Punjab Assistant Professor and Librarian Appointments

By striking down the pre-election recruitment as arbitrary with political motives, the court has mandated fresh hires under 2018 UGC regulations.

Supreme Court has directed the Punjab government to initiate a fresh recruitment process as per 2018 UGC regulations.
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The judgment highlights the glaring irregularities in the process (HT ARCHIVE)
The judges also noted that a haste, especially in disregard of institutional procedures and recommendations, gave rise to a presumption of mala fides.

Overview

  • The Supreme Court on July 14–15, 2025 set aside all 1,158 assistant professor and librarian appointments in Punjab’s government colleges.
  • A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and K Vinod Chandran overturned a September 2024 Punjab and Haryana High Court division bench order that had revived the recruitments.
  • The court found that the state had discarded UGC-mandated academic assessments and viva-voce interviews in favor of a hastily organized multiple-choice exam before the 2022 assembly polls.
  • Justices ruled the selection process arbitrary and politically driven, pointing to executive interference aimed at narrow electoral gains.
  • Punjab must now launch a fresh recruitment exercise strictly under the 2018 University Grants Commission regulations to ensure transparency and merit.