SHILLONG, Oct 31: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) on Wednesday urged Deputy Chief Minister, Prestone Tynsong to address the irregularity in the result declared by the Meghalaya Public Service Commission (MPSC) for the post of Assistant Public Prosecutor.
The post is under the Directorate of Prosecution.
“Irregularities in MPSC do not come as a surprise any longer to the union or the public at large and this will continue until and unless MPSC is reformed to the core, which would put an end to nepotism and corruption and bring about transparency to a certain level,” the KSU’s Employment Monitoring Cell (EMC) chairman, Reuben Najiar said in a letter to Tynsong.
He said that the advertisement published by the MPSC on October 12, 2023, to appoint the Assistant Public Prosecutor said candidates should have a degree from a recognised university and at least three years of experience in handling criminal cases in courts.
Preference was given to candidates with records of successful prosecution in criminal cases.
Najiar said the result for the said post was declared on October 29 and it came to the KSU’s notice that one of the candidates was selected despite not fulfilling the conditions of eligibility.
According to him, the said candidate only passed the law degree examination in August 2023 and has no experience in practising in the courts.
He asked whether the candidate passed the All-India Bar Examination (AIBE), mandatory for all law graduates before they can appear or practice in courts.
Najiar said if the eligibility conditions are not to be followed, there is no reason for setting them in the first place. He added the indifference to the conditions robbed other candidates of an opportunity to apply for the said post.
“Such deviation from the conditions laid down in the advertisement points only to nepotism as the candidate is also seen to have been selected for the post of Junior Divisional Accountant under the Director of Accounts and Treasuries in March,” he said.
Najiar said the candidate in question is also a member of a certain organisation sponsored and funded by the Meghalaya government.
He insisted that the union does not have any grouse against the said candidate and he may have been diligent enough to get through the examination processes. “We would like to reiterate that the MPSC should abide by the conditions of eligibility outlined in its advertisement and cannot deviate from it,” he said.
The KSU leader said dozens of other candidates with years of experience were not selected while many did not apply despite having passed the law exam as they could not fulfil the conditions.
“The section of this particular candidate is unfair to all the other candidates. The duty of prosecution in a criminal case is not easy as they have to assist in administering justice by bringing legal charges against those accused of breaking the law,” he said.
He said theoretical knowledge alone cannot achieve the desired results as experience is crucial in handling cases authoritatively.
“Hence, it is imperative for a legal practitioner to have years of practising in the courts behind him to justify the selection as an Assistant Public Prosecutor, which the said candidate clearly lacks,” Najiar said.
He sought appropriate measures to rectify the anomalies in the recruitment process.
