Madras HC allows IIT-M faculty recruitment process

CHENNAI: The Madras high court on Tuesday admitted an appeal against the order of a single judge who dismissed a plea assailing the appointment of current director to the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M), and the faculty recruitment made by him allegedly in violation of reservation policies.
Refusing to stay an ongoing faculty recruitment process, a division bench of Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh and Justice M Dhandapani said, "The authorities shall go on with the recruitment process following the roster and reservation policy, but however, the same is subject to the result of the present appeal.If there is any violation in the process of selection without adhering to the principles of reservation violating Article 14 and 16 of the Constitution, it would attract serious penal consequences."
The court then posted the appeal to June 6 for further hearing.
The issue pertains to a plea moved by E Muralidharan - former research scholar of IIT-M - questioning under what authority Bhaskar Ramamurthi is holding the post of director of IIT-M.
He further assailed the faculty appointments made by Ramamurthi, allegedly in violation of reservation policies.
Noting that the petition lacks merits and that the court is not inclined to issue a writ of quo warranto, the single judge dismissed the plea. But the judge observed that the authorities shall take note of the said decision of the apex court on reservation and issue appropriate guidelines/instructions in the matter of reservation for SC, ST and OBC candidates in selection and appointment of posts in IITs.
Now, claiming that Ramamurthi is going on appointing faculty members without following reservation policies as observed by the single judge, Muralidharan has approached the high court on appeal.
He also wanted the court to order CBI probe into the alleged appointments made by Ramamurthi in violation of reservation.