The Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) has reaffirmed its demand for the immediate withdrawal of ‘backdoor’ appointees from the IAS select list, urging the State Government to uphold meritocracy and transparency in public service recruitment.
In a press statement issued on Saturday, the JCC stated that “public offices and administrative structures are meant to serve the people, not to be turned into private fiefdoms for a few privileged hands.” It warned that when governance becomes synonymous with nepotism and favoritism, “the trust of the public erodes, and the efficiency of the State collapses.” Calling the issue not merely an administrative irregularity but a “moral and constitutional issue,” the JCC demanded an independent inquiry monitored by credible and neutral institutions.
The Committee questioned whether regulatory and selection processes, particularly those concerning high-level appointments, have been compromised.
“The public deserves answers. How far have these connections influenced the functioning of the government? Are decisions being taken in the best interest of the State, or to satisfy private ambitions? Have regulatory and selection processes-especially those concerning appointments to high offices-been compromised under this invisible network?” it asked.
It went on to say that a government that claims to uphold transparency and good governance cannot remain silent when such serious allegations are circulating. “Every concerned Naga citizen must demand clarity, not out of political rivalry, but in defence of public integrity and accountability,” it added.
“If the administration is confident of its fairness, it should have no hesitation in opening its books for scrutiny. Silence, in this case, only deepens suspicion,” it asserted.
“It is a public trust-and when that trust is betrayed, people have the right, and indeed the duty, to question and demand accountability,” it said.
The JCC also stated that the call for meritocracy has drawn wide support from major state service associations. It said the Nagaland Secretariat Service Association (NSSA), in its Executive Meeting on October 9, reaffirmed total support and cooperation with the JCC in safeguarding meritocracy and fairness in IAS cadre induction.
The Federation of Nagaland State Engineering Services Associations (FONSESA), comprising eight affiliated associations, also expressed its firm commitment to back the JCC “until the State Government fulfils its two-point charter of demands.”
Similarly, the Nagaland Finance and Accounts Service Association (NF&ASA) and the Nagaland In-Service Doctors’ Association (NIDA) pledged their full support to the cause during their meetings held on October 24.
Meanwhile, the Confederation of All Nagaland State Service Employees’ Association (CANSSEA), along with over 50 affiliated associations, convened an emergency meeting on October 24 and resolved to “extend full physical and logistical support to the JCC in its steadfast stand to uphold meritocracy while selecting the candidates for empanelment and only candidates recruited through the public service commission should be selected.”
The JCC stated that the Associations stand united in their conviction that “only constitutionally valid and merit-based recruited candidates through the Public Service Commission need to be selected in the empanelled list and the backdoor regularized candidates have to be withdrawn which will ensure justice, equality, and integrity in public service – the foundational principles upon which governance must rest.”
