MUTUM DINAMANI Vs. STATE OF MANIPUR

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioners have filed this writ petition to quash the impugned order No.14/76/2021-HSC, dtd. 16/5/2022, issued during the pendency of W.P. (C) No.61 of 2022; to direct the respondents not to regularise or absorb contract employees under schemes/projects to the vacant posts of Assistant Agriculture Officer in the Department of Horticulture and Soil Conservation, Government of Manipur; and, to fill up all the vacant posts of Assistant Agriculture Officer under direct recruitment quota as per the relevant Recruitment Rules, through Manipur Public Service Commission (MPSC) within a stipulated time.

(2.) According to the petitioners, they are unemployed Graduates/ Post Graduates in Agriculture/Horticulture seeking government job and they are duly qualified to be recruited to the post of Assistant Agriculture Officer, Horticulture Department, Government of Manipur.

(3.) It is the case of the petitioners that the Director Horticulture and Soil Conservation, Manipur, vide notification dtd. 30/6/2018 announced Walk-in-interview to fill up 11 posts of Horticulture Assistant/Field Consultant under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) for engagement on contractual basis with remuneration of Rs.20,000.00 per month for one year. It is claimed that some of the petitioners also appeared in the said interview and there was no written test conducted. While so, during the first week of January, 2022, the Confidential and Cabinet Department issued a Cabinet Meeting Notice to consider absorption/regularisation of the aforesaid 11 Horticulture Assistants/Field Consultants to the post of Assistant Agriculture Officers. However, due to imposition of Model Code of Conduct, no regularisation was effected till 15/5/2022.