In a major ruling affirming the importance of due process and institutional autonomy, the Meghalaya High Court has reinstated four scientists whose appointments at the North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) were abruptly cancelled in 2022. The court declared the dismissals “legally void” and directed full restoration of their positions, along with back pay, allowances, and service benefits.
The judgment, delivered by a division bench comprising Chief Justice I.P. Mukerji and Justice W. Diengdoh, strongly criticised the manner in which the scientists—Ankit Shrivastava, Simon Phukan, Simanta Das, and Rakesh Kumar Sarmah—were removed from service. The bench noted that the cancellation of appointments was carried out “at the whim and caprice of the secretary,” without adherence to proper procedure.
The four scientists had been appointed in November 2021 after being selected through a duly authorised recruitment process, which had received prior approval from both NECTAR’s Executive Committee and Governing Council. However, their appointments were rescinded less than a year later during the 9th Governing Council meeting in August 2022, reportedly in response to objections raised by the Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology.
The court, however, rejected this justification, stating there was “no reason to doubt the authenticity of a letter of appointment duly signed by the Director General under the seal of NECTAR.” It also took into account the personal and professional toll on the scientists, several of whom had resigned from other positions to join NECTAR.
Calling the cancellations unfair and arbitrary, the bench underscored the necessity of safeguarding institutional independence from administrative overreach. “The rule of law must prevail over personal discretion,” the court observed, reinstating not only the scientists’ jobs but also their dignity.
