The Allahabad High Court has issued a directive to the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) registrar, emphasizing the need for clarity and precision in job advertisements for lecturer positions to avoid ambiguity, especially concerning eligibility criteria.
The court’s order, issued on March 12, arose from a legal challenge concerning the eligibility of candidates with an M.Sc. in Industrial Chemistry for the position of Lecturer in Chemistry. The dispute highlighted issues in AMU’s 2019 and 2020 advertisements, which stated that candidates with a Master’s degree in a “concerned/relevant/allied subject” were eligible to apply.
Petitioners Amma Khatoon and two others brought the case to the high court, arguing that the terminology used in the advertisement was vague and left potential applicants uncertain about their eligibility. They contended that their degrees in Industrial Chemistry should be considered “allied subjects,” making them eligible for the lecturer posts.
Justice Saurabh Shyam Shamshery, presiding over the case, noted the university’s approach was arbitrary in deciding eligibility criteria. The judgment pointed out that while AMU initially considered M.Sc. in Industrial Chemistry as falling within an “allied subject,” it also stipulated that candidates with this qualification would only be considered if no suitable candidates with M.Sc. (Chemistry) were found.
The court criticized this inconsistency, stating, “Such ambiguity should be removed i.e., words shall be chosen carefully and instead of ambiguous words, the university must specifically mention about qualification so that all eligible candidates may participate in the advertisement and no one be left prejudiced.”
Although the positions in question were already filled during the five-year pendency of the writ petition, making the immediate relief sought by the petitioners infructuous, the court’s directive aims to prevent similar issues in the future. It emphasized the importance of clear and unambiguous communication in official advertisements to ensure fairness and transparency in the recruitment process.
