VISHAL RAMOLA Vs. STATE OF UTTARAKHAND

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Heard Mr. M.C. Pant, learned counsel for the petitioners, Mr. Bhupesh Kandpal, learned Standing Counsel for the Uttarakhand Tehcnical University-respondent nos. 2 and 3 and Mr. Paresh Tripathi, learned Chief Standing Counsel for the State of Uttarakhand and, with their consent, the writ petition is disposed of at the stage of admission.

(2.) The petitioners herein (12 in number) seek a mandamus to declare the impugned order, whereby their contracts were not extended, as arbitrary and illegal; and a mandamus for release of salaries for the months of February and March, 2019 at par with the salary prescribed for the regular staff in terms of AICTE guidelines. It is wholly unnecessary for us to undertake an elaborate examination of the contentions, urged by learned counsel on either side, since Mr. Bhupesh Kandpal, learned Standing Counsel for the University-respondent nos. 2 and 3, on instructions, would submit that a regular process of selection of Assistant Professors/Associate Professors has already commenced; the petitioners were appointed earlier on a contractual basis; they will be continued as such till the regular process of selection is completed, and the selected candidates are appointed; and they will be continued to be paid the salaries, which they were drawing earlier, as long as their services are utilized.

(3.) While Mr. M.C. Pant, learned counsel for the petitioners, would submit that the petitioners are also entitled for pay-scales on par with regular lecturers, in terms of the AICTE guidelines, no such request appears to have been made by the petitioners to the respondent-University earlier.