HPU recruitment: CPI(M) opposes power shift, wants judicial probe

The Himachal Pradesh unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Wednesday opposed the proposed legislation seeking to transfer the power to recruit teachers in state universities, including Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), from the universities to the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (HPPSC), saying the move would weaken academic autonomy rather than address alleged recruitment irregularities.

CPI(M) state secretary Sanjay Chauhan said the government should instead order an independent, time-bound judicial inquiry into the recruitment of 186 teachers at HPU between 2020 and 2023 and fix responsibility wherever violations of rules are established. Chauhan said the proposed transfer of recruitment powers could not be presented as a substitute for investigating allegations of corruption and irregularities in university appointments.

CPI(M) Demands Judicial Inquiry

“The government should not use alleged recruitment irregularities as a justification for weakening the academic autonomy of Himachal Pradesh University. If corruption, misconduct or violation of recruitment rules has taken place, the solution is an independent inquiry, prosecution and punishment of those responsible–not the transfer of recruitment powers from the university to another bureaucratic institution,” Chauhan said.

CAG Report Flags Irregularities

The CPI(M)’s statement comes in the wake of the CAG Compliance Audit Report No. 4 of 2025, covering the period ending March 2023, which raised several issues concerning the functioning and recruitment practices of HPU. According to the party, the audit report states that HPU recruited 186 teachers between 2020 and 2023 but did not provide records showing that EWS certificates, educational qualifications and other supporting documents of the appointees had been verified with the authorities that issued them.

The CAG also pointed to specific instances of alleged non-compliance with UGC regulations, including the appointment of an Assistant Professor who did not possess the prescribed qualification by the last date for submission of applications. The audit also flagged the appointment of a Guest Faculty member who allegedly did not meet the prescribed eligibility criteria.

“The CAG has clearly raised questions about verification of certificates and compliance with UGC norms. The university’s explanation regarding verification of documents was also not found satisfactory, as verification from the issuing authorities was necessary to establish the authenticity of the certificates,” Chauhan said.

CPI(M) Calls for Bipartisan Accountability

The CPI(M) leader said the issue should not be reduced to a political confrontation between the BJP and Congress. He said allegations of political interference, institutional accountability and violations of recruitment rules at HPU had arisen during the tenure of successive governments and that both parties must answer for their respective periods in power.

“The BJP government must answer for the recruitment decisions taken during its tenure and the alleged irregularities associated with them. At the same time, the present Congress government must explain why, despite repeatedly raising the issue of allegedly illegal and irregular appointments while in opposition, it has not so far established an independent mechanism to investigate the matter and fix responsibility,” Chauhan said. He said accountability cannot change depending on which political party is in power.

Scope of Proposed Judicial Inquiry

The CPI(M) has demanded that the state government constitute a time-bound judicial inquiry headed by a serving or retired High Court judge to examine the 186 appointments made during 2020-23. The proposed inquiry, the party said, should examine the eligibility of every appointee, verification of EWS and academic certificates, compliance with UGC regulations, functioning of the Screening-cum-Evaluation Committees and Selection Committees, the role of the Vice-Chancellor and other statutory authorities, and any political or administrative interference in the recruitment process.

The party also highlighted the CAG’s observation that HPU faced a 27 to 37 per cent shortage of teachers during 2020-23, even as recruitment was being carried out during the same period. “This makes it even more important to establish whether the recruitment process was conducted strictly in accordance with law, UGC regulations and academic standards,” the CPI(M) said.

Protecting University Autonomy

Chauhan said the issue was not limited to individual appointments but concerned the credibility of the university, the quality of higher education, utilisation of public funds and the academic future of thousands of students. The CPI(M) also cautioned the government against using alleged recruitment irregularities to justify greater centralisation of university administration.

“Shifting recruitment powers from one institution to another will not address the root causes of corruption. The government should strengthen transparent and accountable university governance rather than replacing institutional autonomy with administrative centralisation,” Chauhan said.

A Call for Transparency and Action

The party has further demanded that the government place the entire matter before the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, make all relevant records available for scrutiny, take effective action on the CAG observations and initiate recovery of funds and legal proceedings wherever financial or other irregularities are established. The CPI(M) said neither the BJP nor the Congress should be allowed to evade accountability in the matter.

“If recruitment rules were violated, action must be taken against those responsible irrespective of their political affiliation or the government under which the appointments were made. This issue should not be used for partisan political gain. It must be resolved through an independent, transparent and legally credible investigation,” Chauhan said.

The party reiterated its demand that the proposed move affecting HPU’s recruitment autonomy be stopped and that the government instead order an independent judicial probe into the 186 appointments. “Teachers, students and the people of Himachal Pradesh have the right to know whether rules were violated, who was responsible, who benefited, who enabled any irregularity and why successive governments failed to take effective action,” Chauhan said. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)