Jabalpur: High Court Quashes Bhoj Open University Appointments Including Professor, Recruitment to Restart

Bhoj Open University: Madhya Pradesh High Court has ordered the cancellation of appointments made in 2015 to several posts, including professors, at Bhoj Open University. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Vivek Jain, in its ruling, commented that the appointments to professor and assistant professor posts, among others, at Madhya Pradesh Bhoj Open University, Bhopal, were arbitrary and flawed. Overturning a single bench order, the division bench cancelled these appointments and directed the university to issue fresh advertisements and begin the recruitment process anew.

Bhoj Open University: Experts Not Included in Selection Committee

The Madhya Pradesh government and the Madhya Pradesh Bhoj Open University, Bhopal, challenged a single bench order that had overturned the cancellation of appointments deemed fraudulent following an investigation. The division bench heard an appeal arguing that vacancies for professors, assistant professors, and other posts were advertised in 2015. During the selection process, subject matter experts were not included in the selection committee.

Bhoj Open University: Bias and Favoritism Shown

Experts from other subjects were called for the selection of some subjects, which was illegal. The selection committee did not adhere to the criteria set by the UGC. The committee did not thoroughly scrutinise the academic records of each applicant. Some columns of marks were left blank by the committee without any explanation. By giving top marks to candidates in the interview, other eligible candidates with better academic records were ignored, showing favouritism.

Bhoj Open University: Reservation Norms Not Followed

Bhoj University's appeal stated that no reservation was made for women and differently-abled persons in the advertisement. The reservation roster was also not prepared as per the instructions given by the Higher Education Department, Madhya Pradesh government. Due to irregularities, the selection process was cancelled. The selected candidates filed a petition in the High Court, which issued a favourable order. This appeal was filed against that order. The High Court found the selection process to be highly flawed. The division bench, overturning the single bench order, directed the issuance of fresh advertisements for the appointments.