Midnight reporting of vacancy: HC to consider Nisha’s appeal today

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Nisha is now age over for a government job and has submitted a review petition before the High Court. Photo: Manorama.

Kollam: The High Court will consider on Friday an appeal filed by a Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) rank-holder who lost her job opportunity after the vacancy was reported at midnight on the day of expiry of the rank-list.

As reported earlier Nisha Balakrishnan, a resident of Chavara in Kollam district, failed to secure a government job after an official at the Urban Affairs Directorate in Thiruvananthapuram reported a vacancy to the PSC exactly at midnight on the day the validity of her rank-list for Lower-Division Clerk (LDC) post expired. The PSC had refused to send Nisha an appointment order saying that the email from Urban Affairs Directorate was received four seconds after midnight.

The Kerala Administrative Tribunal and the High Court had earlier rejected Nisha's petition reasoning that the validity of the rank-list had expired. The appeal has been filed against these orders citing a technicality in the PSC rules.

The right of the eligible candidates on the rank-list to be appointed in the reported vacancies and the existing guidelines in this regard were sabotaged, claims Nisha in her appeal.

It was Manorama that had brought to light on December 3 last Nisha's plight due to mischief by officials.

PSC's offer

PSC sources pointed out that the government can create supernumerary posts in order to appoint those who lost their job opportunities due to a delay of seconds caused by the apathy of officials. However, the government is not inclined to take any remedial measures.

The Commission is willing to recommend appointments if the government is ready to create supernumerary posts. Otherwise, there should be a specific directive from the court, added PSC sources.

The unlucky ones

Others who were deprived a placement chance as per the LDC rank-list are P Rajivan and P S Saiju. While Nisha was on the shortlist for various departments in Ernakulam district; Rajivan's name was on the Kannur rank-list, and Saiju, who is a native of Udayamperoor, was on the supplementary list of Ernakulam.

Rajivan, who is from Punnad, near Iritty in Kannur, refused to comment on the developments.

Rajivan came to know that he had lost the job opportunity days after the incident. In his case the email of the Urban Affairs Department had reached the PSC office in Kannur at 12.01 am on March 31, 2018.

Rajivan was included on LDC rank-list even as he is working in the Scheduled Castes Development Department in the Last- Grade category. He stood 508 on the list.

All candidates, including the person just above him, were appointed from the rank-list that was drawn up in accordance with the reservation norms. Rajivan was appointed as a Last-Grade employee at Kelakam in 2014. At present, he is working at the pre-matric hostel at Iritty.

 

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