Hiring of assistant registrar cancelled at Kachchh University after irregularities found in hiring process

Krantiguru Shyamji Krishna Verma Kachchh University in Bhuj has come under scrutiny and sparked controversy across Gujarat for violating recruitment norms in the appointment of an Assistant Registrar. Following the revelation, the Gujarat Education Department suspended the recruitment process on Wednesday.

The issue came to light after a formal complaint was submitted to the Commissioner of Higher Education. In response, a committee was constituted, and Dr R D Modh and Dr P B Solanki were appointed to investigate the matter.

It was found that after the screening test, corrections were made to two questions in the answer key. However, only the candidates who raised objections were awarded revised marks, while others were not, which altered the cut-off marks and impacted the list of candidates eligible for the interview.

Age relaxation was granted to long-serving university employees despite the absence of any official government provision or policy allowing such relaxation.

The entire recruitment process lacked transparency, as stated during the cancellation announcement:

OMR sheets did not carry barcodes or seat numbers.

Corrected results were not published on the university’s website.

The recruitment advertisement lacked a reference number or notification ID.

There were serious lapses in the secure handling of question papers and OMR sheets.

Appointment letters were issued without government approval.

The Gujarat Education Department cited all these issues, along with the pending petition (SCA No. 17506/2024) in Gujarat High Court, as the basis for cancelling the recruitment process at Kachchh University.