HC declines to stay disengagement of contractual teachers in NIT

Excelsior Correspondent

Srinagar, Jan 16: High Court has declined to grant stay on disengagement of contractual teaching staff in National Institute of Technology (NIT) and said no interim relief for continuation of their services be granted as the order of disengagement has been acted upon.
Hearing the plea filed by the Assistant Professors who were disengaged by virtue of an order issued by the authorities of NIT, Justice Sanjay Dhar said no interim relief directing their continuance can be granted at this stage.
The court, however, said their disengagement shall remain subject to the outcome of the petition and the posts on which the aggrieved persons were working shall not be filled up by the NIT by making similar contractual engagement.
The direction followed after the NIT counsel senior advocate Jehangir Ganie informed the court that in the instant case the direction of their continuation of their services cannot be granted as they have already been disengaged and the order of disengagement passed by the NIT has been acted upon.
The petitioner were seeking a direction upon the NIT authorities that they be allowed to continue on their posts for the session of 2021-2022 till regular arrangement for filling the post on which they have been appointed is done by the authorities.
The petitioners were also seeking quashing of an advertisement notice issued by the NIT whereby the posts on which the petitioners were working have again been advertised on contractual basis. Their counsel referred and relied upon an interim direction passed by a coordinate bench and were seeking similar direction whereby the aggrieved persons were allowed to continue and discharge their duties as Assistant Professors on contractual basis.
However, advocate Ganie on rebuttal of the arguments of the petitioners counsel, submitted that those persons were still in contractual services and had not been disengaged but the case in hand is different as the petitioners in this case stand already disengaged and order has been acted upon.