Manipur preparing to challenge HC order blocking job cuts

IMPHAL, April 8:The state government is preparing to challenge the ruling by Justice JN Sharma of the Gauhati High Court, which blocked the government decision to terminate 2581 jobs. It is learnt that the government will soon be appealing to a double bench of the same court to have the said order vacated so that it can go ahead with its plan. The responsibility of taking the case forward will be handed over to the newly appointed advocate general, Ashok Potsangbam, sources said. It may be recalled that the state government had made the job termination move in keeping with the 26-point action plan signed between the government and the Union Home minister, LK Advani. Amongst the 26-points was the clause to retrench jobs which had been recruited after the signing of MoU forbidding fresh recruitment, between the government of Manipur and the Union finance ministry. However, the government has decided to review some points and to take a little more lenient stand on the issue. Hence it has decided put its order terminating the 2581 jobs on hold until the departments concerned can submit detailed reports on the matter and feasibility of the job cuts. It is also learnt that the cancellations of recruitments made against the die-in-harness scheme will also be reviewed on humanitarian grounds. Of the 2581 jobs facing the prospect of retrenchment, 226 had been appointed against die-in-harness scheme. It is worth noting here that there has been another ruling of the High Court that the die in-harness scheme cannot come under any job recruitment ban by the government. Because of the Cabinet decision for the job cut was made in haste and without consultation with the law department of personnel, there are frictions within the government itself. With a view to resolve these problems, a high-level review committee, with the chief secretary, Rakesh, as its chairman, was constituted. The committee yesterday had a meeting with commissioners, secretaries and heads of departments, to study the reports called from the government departments on job vacancy and requirement situation.