SC stays recruitment 20 assistant professor at Gaya minority college

Gaya: The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the ongoing recruitment process for 20 assistant professor posts at Mirza Ghalib College, Gaya, a govt-funded minority college.A bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta passed the order on a plea filed by a group of candidates who were earlier appointed against the same posts in 2021. The posts had been re-advertised by the college governing body on Feb 26, 2026, after the earlier appointments were quashed by the Patna high court.Supreme Court advocate Mojahid Karim Khan said the petitioners challenged the fresh recruitment process after losing their appointments in the earlier round. “The court also made an oral observation warning the college of a penalty of Rs 1 crore,” Mojahid said.The Patna high court had earlier ruled the 2021 appointments illegal, citing blatant violation of Section 57 of the amended Bihar State Universities Act, 1976. The law mandates that appointments be made through a properly constituted selection committee comprising the college principal, head of the concerned department, three outside experts selected from a university-approved panel, and a representative of the governing body as chairman.Justice Anjani Kumar Sharan, while quashing the appointments, said the recruitment process had been conducted in a “whimsical and arbitrary manner”, depriving students of quality education. The order was later upheld by a division bench comprising then chief justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo and Justice Harish Kumar.Following the high court order, the college management had initiated a fresh recruitment process. However, with the Supreme Court now stepping in, the matter has once again returned to legal uncertainty.