SARBJEET SINGH Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Pertaining to the same issues, these eight writ petitions are amenable to final disposal by way of this common order.

(2.) The Government of India set up 06 new Indian Institutes of Management in the year 2015. One of them was at Amritsar. These Institutes were to start their academic sessions from 2015-16. The existing Indian Institutes of Management at Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Indore and Kozhikode were to mentor the six new Institutes. The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) at Amritsar was to be mentored by IIM, Kozhikode. A meeting was held on 31.03.2015 under the Chairmanship of the Secretary, Higher Education, Government of India, with the Directors of the mentor IIMs of the proposed Institutes and several decisions were taken as to land allotment for the temporary campuses of the new IIMs, shifting of the said IIMs to permanent campuses, costing for infrastructure, the role to be played by the mentoring IIMs, the student strength for the 1st year courses in the new IIMs, etc. Such unanimous decisions were recorded in Clause 6 of the Minutes of that meeting. Clause 6(i) stated that all the new IIMs should start their current academic sessions (2015-16) by admitting students for Post Graduate Diploma Programs by July, 2015 and latest by August, 2015. Clauses 6(ii) and (iii) dealt with aspects relating to expenditure while Clause 6(iv) stated that till such time administrative professionals were appointed by the new IIMs, the mentoring IIMs may engage such professionals on contract basis. Clause 6(v) is of particular relevance and it reads as under:-

(3.) The Society of the IIM, Amritsar, was registered on 27.08.2015. However, Advertisements were issued even after this event through the aegis of the mentoring IIM, Kozhikode, on different dates for making selection and appointment to various posts. The petitioners in these cases were recruited on temporary basis on contract after such process.