Shillong: The Meghalaya High Court has reinstated four scientists whose appointments at the North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) were abruptly terminated in 2022, ruling the dismissals unlawful and arbitrary.
In a judgment delivered on Tuesday, Chief Justice I. P. Mukerji, joined by Justice W. Diengdoh, declared the terminations void and directed the full restoration of the scientists’ employment.
The court further ordered the payment of all pending salaries, allowances, and service benefits dating back to the time of dismissal.
The scientists — Ankit Shrivastava, Simon Phukan, Simanta Das, and Rakesh Kumar Sarmah — had been selected through a legitimate recruitment process in November 2021, with the necessary approvals from NECTAR’s Executive Committee and Governing Council.
Despite this, their appointments were later revoked during the 9th Governing Council meeting in August 2022, following reported objections from the Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology.
The High Court took a firm stance against the decision-making process that led to the cancellations, describing it as conducted “at the whim and caprice of the secretary.”
It ruled that the scientists’ appointments were both valid and legally binding.
Rejecting the justification given for the cancellation, the bench emphasised that the scientists had been issued authentic appointment letters, duly signed and sealed by NECTAR’s Director General.
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The court also acknowledged the significant personal cost to the individuals, many of whom had resigned from other jobs to join NECTAR, and reinforced the principle of procedural fairness in public employment.
The verdict is being hailed as a victory for transparency and institutional integrity, with legal experts noting that it underscores the importance of protecting merit-based appointments from arbitrary interference.
