The Manipur High Court has cleared the way for appointment of candidates selected for 78 non-teaching posts at Manipur University after disposing of a writ petition that had challenged the recruitment process.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice M. Sundar and Justice A. Guneshwar Sharma delivered the judgment on June 19 in connection with the recruitment conducted under Advertisement No. 2/2025.
The petitioners had challenged the recruitment process on the ground that the Cadre Recruitment Rules (CRRs) allegedly used for the recruitment had not received the approval of the Visitor of the University, the President of India. They sought cancellation of the recruitment process and all related actions.
After examining records, including documents available on the Ministry of Education’s SAMARTH portal, the High Court found that the so-called CRRs 2024, which formed the main basis of the challenge, did not exist in the official records of the university or on the portal. The court noted that the recruitment was linked to modified CRRs 2022 and not to any officially existing CRRs 2024.
The court therefore declined to examine the legality of the alleged CRRs 2024 and disposed of the petition. However, it clarified that legal questions regarding the validity of the CRRs 2022 and modified CRRs 2022, including whether approval of the Visitor was required, remain open and may be raised in future cases.
One of the key directions issued by the court was the vacation of its interim order dated February 25, 2026, which had stopped the university from issuing appointment letters to successful candidates. With the stay lifted, the recruitment process can now proceed.
The court also requested Manipur University to consider petitioner Wangkhem Ranjan for appointment against any vacant Peon or Multi-Tasking Staff post covered under the recruitment process. The bench noted that an earlier proposal to accommodate him could not be implemented.
The court further ordered that all parties would bear their own costs and brought the proceedings to a close while leaving broader legal issues relating to the recruitment rules open for future adjudication.