Court stays IUST move to replace existing contractual faculty

Srinagar, Jan 4: The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has stayed the Contractual Advertisement Notice of Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) upholding that a contractual faculty cannot be replaced with another contractual faculty.
The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir stayed the Advertisement notification published on 19-12-2022 vide Adv no: IUST/DAA-Acad/22/2031 inviting application for fresh recruitment of contractual teaching faculty at the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST).
The High Court of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh vide order no: WPC-3004/2022 and WPC-3067/2022 dated 30-12-2022 strongly stayed the recruitment process of the contractual faculties in the subjects like the English Language and Literature, Management Studies, Mathematics, Islamic Studies, and Architecture as the petitioners were aggrieved of the notification saying that as per the Supreme Court a contractual faculty can’t be replaced by another contractual faculty. The court order reads “the impugned advertisement notice to the extent of inviting applications for the posts of Assistant Professors (in the subjects mentioned above) is stayed and the respondents are directed to maintain the present status of the petitioners.”
The said order was issued by the court of Justice Sanjay Dhar.
The faculty members/ petitioners had approached the High Court seeking justice when the university issued the uncalled-for notification through which their services were threatened and their future was put in the dark.
It was only after this judgment that the said faculty members heaved a sigh of relief. While contacting the petitioner it was found that they have full faith in the Court of justice. They are hopeful now that their livelihood is safeguarded.
One of the faculty members who has been working as a contractual Assistant Professor (English) for around last 6 years said that High Court gave a strong judgment in favor of the Contractual Assistant Professors of the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST).
Another petitioner who is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Management Studies expressed satisfaction over the judgment and hoped that the Islamic University of Science and Technology administration will no longer play with the future of highly qualified faculty members.” [KNT]