The Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) of CANSSEA, FONSESA, NSSA, NIDA, and NF&ASA has issued a clarification amid reports in some sections of the print media regarding the induction of IAS officers from the Non-State Civil Service (Non-SCS) category.
In its statement, the JCC clarified that it is “not opposed to the induction of Non-SCS officers per se, but firmly objects to the inclusion of backdoor appointee(s) under the Non-SCS quota.” The committee emphasized that “the matter at hand concerns the eligibility of officers proposed for IAS induction from among other State services (excluding the State Civil Services (i.e. the NCS) who have their own quota for induction/Promotion into IAS).”
The JCC “strongly opposes any attempt to induct officers who entered service through backdoor, illegal or irregular appointments, without undergoing open competitive recruitment,” stating that such practices “not only violate the principles of meritocracy and equality of opportunity enshrined in the Constitution but also erode public trust and demoralize deserving officers who entered service through legitimate means.”
Stressing the significance of the IAS, the committee noted that it “represents the highest level of administrative recognition, and therefore, its induction process must be transparent, fair, and constitutionally compliant.” It warned that “any move to regularize or promote officers appointed through irregular means would set a dangerous precedent, undermine recruitment institutions like the NPSC, NSSB and dilute the integrity of the State’s administrative system.”
The JCC reaffirmed its “commitment to uphold merit, transparency, and fairness in all matters of public service recruitment and career progression,” and appealed “to the State Government to ensure that only eligible officers recruited through open, competitive, and constitutional means are considered under the non-SCS quota.”
Highlighting existing legal frameworks, the JCC urged the State Cabinet “to scrutinize the DOPT Office Memorandum No. 49014/7/2020-Estt. (C) dated 7th October 2020 at Para. 3 (ii)” which reads:
“The appointment of such employees should not be illegal, even if irregular. Where the appointments are not made or continued against sanctioned posts or where the persons appointed do not possess the prescribed minimum qualifications, the appointments will be considered to be illegal.
But where the person employed possessed the prescribed qualifications and was working against sanctioned posts, but had been selected without undergoing the process of open competitive selection, such appointments are considered to be irregular.”
The JCC clarified that “such a person cannot be allowed to be inducted into the IAS.”
Finally, the committee called upon “all right-thinking citizens, intellectuals, Student bodies and civil society organizations to stand united in defending meritocracy, justice, and the rule of law in public service.”
