Judicial Blow to Manipulated Hiring Professors’ Appointments Cancelled

On August 26, 2025, in Shimla, The Himachal Pradesh High Court canceled the two appointments of Assistant Professors in Agricultural Biotechnology in Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya (CSKHPKV), Palampur. The court asserted that it was beyond the powers of the Selection Committee to alter the eligibility requirements during the course of the hiring process.

The decision was made by Justice Sandeep Sharma and it was based on the writ petition cases presented by Pankaj Kumar Singh and Dr. Sunny Choudhary. They challenged the published standards of qualification and selection of individuals whose degrees were not corresponding. Due to the case, people are discussing the honest, open, and fair university hiring processes.

• The Controversy

In March 2019, CSKHPKV posted advertisement No. 02/2019 in search of individuals to occupy different positions within the contract as subject matter experts and assistant professors. One of the positions was an Assistant Professor in the field of agricultural biotechnology.

The employment opportunity was to the point that you needed to be certified in NET and a degree in a Master of Science, Master of Technology, or Master of Business Administration. The advertisement required an individual with an MS in Agricultural Biotechnology.

Out of the 49 applications that were received, only 5 of them matched this requirement. This involves the applicants. Nevertheless, the Screening Committee allowed 32 other applicants who had such degrees as a Masters of Science in Biotechnology to apply provided that they presented a certificate of equivalency.

This act was the one that was the subject of disagreement in the court. Individuals that wrote the letter argued that the Selection Committee had misused the term equivalent qualification in a manner that was not in the advertisement or the university regulation. They claimed that there were those people who got better treatment than others when there was a plan being made.

• Questionable Equivalence

Registrar of the Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry in Nauni said that both were equal. These papers indicated that Master of Science in Biotechnology and Master of Science in Agricultural Biotechnology were equivalent.

The validity of these materials was challenged by the petitioners who said:

• The Academic Council has to agree on the decision made by an appropriately selected panel of experts on degree equivalency as it is a technical matter.

• It was not within the power of the Registrar to follow out these kinds of certificates on his own.

• An in-depth examination of the course outlines of the two programs revealed that only part of the theory classes of the other program is covered in the Biotechnology program at Nauni and 10 out of the 14 theory classes of the Agricultural

According to the applicants, the degrees were naturally not the same and the certificates of equivalency could not exist due to this fact.

• The Selection and Appointments

The interviews with the jobs began on December 24, 2021. One of the twenty applications was selected by the organisation and another was placed on a waiting list. They possessed masters in biotechnology and not biotechnology in farming.

There was one day when the appointment letter was dispatched and the recommendation was made. The petitioners might have satisfied the requirements, but still, they were not listened to.

They further reported that the process was done secretly. They did not post the results on the bulletin board or online instead they printed them towards the end of December 24. They also ensured that they mentioned that appointments were finalized quickly that very evening.

• University’s Defence

Individuals including the institution claimed that a degree equivalent could be provided by the Selection Committee since it was composed of experts. The University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB) have opined that degrees in biotechnology and a degree with related majors are good when it comes to employment in agricultural biotechnology.

There was even speculation that a master ‘s degree in biotechnology including other related course work would suffice due to the fact that agriculture is one of the fields of biology. The school clarified that they selected the candidates according to their overall prosperity and merit denying the accusations of prejudices and unusual conditions.

• Court’s Observations

Having examined the cases, records and petitions, the court decided that the Selection Committee had gone overboard. According to Justice Sharma, the following is clear:

• The advertisement had shown that you required a Master of Science in agricultural biotechnology. The committee was not able to include the word equivalent since it had been used.

• The person that can update a competence required in the hiring process can only be the right one.

• You can never conclude immediately on whether two degrees are similar or not; it must be published in the advertisement and consented by a panel of specialists beforehand.

The Court reiterated using a handful of Supreme Court cases but it no longer said that courts must intervene when there was evidence of malpractice, injustice or when there was a violation of established rules. In the majority of cases, courts permit expert groups to make decisions in regards to school.

• Judgment and Implications

The court supported the arguments of the petitioners, and therefore the elected candidates could not assume office any longer. The university was also encouraged to carefully re-visit its employment practice to ensure that it was in line with the set standards.

The move would transform the university hiring of students by the Indian institutions on a grand scale. This shows:

• The qualifications specified have to be closely adhered to by the employers.

• During the process, the selection committees are not able to change the standards or make them weaker.

• It is only the known professional bodies which can indicate whether the two degrees are equal or not before job vacancies are announced.

Conclusion

The case of Himachal Pradesh high court reveals the significance of honesty and adherence to the rules on the part of professors. It has reinstilled confidence in the process of selection and ensured that desirable candidates have a fair prospect of admission by ensuring that the universities pay.