Kerala HC stays govt move to regularise temporary employees

Kochi: The KeralaHigh Court has stayed the government’s move to regularise temporary employees in government and quasi-government institutions. The action by Justice C P Mohammed Nias came after the Chief Secretary failed to provide an explanation despite being repeatedly asked in a contempt petition challenging the regularisation move.

On November 10 last year, the High Court had ordered that temporary employees should not be regularised in violation of Supreme Court directives. The present interim order came on a contempt petition filed by Malappuram native Abdul Waheed against the issuance of regularisation orders despite that directive. Files to regularise around a thousand more contract employees in institutions under various departments are also under the consideration of the Cabinet.

The petition argues that the January order to regularise librarians, anganwadi/nursery school teachers and ayahs who have worked continuously for ten or more years amounts to contempt of court. It also pointed out that moves are under way to regularise temporary employees in local bodies as well. The High Court had sought an explanation from the Chief Secretary in a review petition related to the regularisation of employees in the Literacy Mission.

The matter will be considered again on March 2. Advocate A L Navaneeth Krishnan appeared for the petitioner.

A similar regularisation move in the final phase of the first Pinarayi government had also been stayed by the High Court. Even after a prolonged legal battle, the government could not complete the process. The latest setback comes as the government was preparing to frame general norms for regularisation to bypass court rulings.