Tension gripped Nagaland’s capital on Wednesday as members of the Combine Technical Association of Nagaland (CTAN) and Nagaland Net Qualified Forum (NNQF) locked down the Higher Education Department office at the Civil Secretariat, protesting alleged “backdoor” appointments. The protest comes in response to government order No. HTE/HE/13-3/2020 (PT-1) 104, dated December 17, 2024, under which 147 assistant professors and librarians were absorbed into the department. The agitating groups claim the move violates constitutional norms and recruitment rules, including Article 16 of the Constitution, NPSC Rule 9(4), and the P&AR Office Memorandum dated June 6, 2016.
Chanting slogans like “Stop Nepotism, Uphold Meritocracy” and “Right to Justice, Equal Opportunity for All,” dozens of NET-qualified candidates and their supporters gathered with placards, demanding cancellation of the appointments and full transparency in the recruitment process. CTAN and NNQF also met department officials, following up on a memorandum submitted earlier to the Chief Secretary on April 10. They reiterated that all appointments after June 6, 2016, should go through the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC).
In a statement, the department clarified that the appointments were fixed-pay and made against non-sanctioned posts to meet academic needs. It also claimed that all sanctioned posts had already been sent to the NPSC.
