Writ Dismissed on Gandaki University Staff Appointments
The High Court Pokhara has dismissed a writ petition that sought to halt the permanent appointment process for 78 contract-based teachers and administrative staff at Gandaki University.
A joint bench of Chief Judge Dr. Ratna Bahadur Wagchand and Judge Milan Kumar Rai rejected the writ.
With the dismissal of the writ on Monday, the university can now proceed with converting the contract-based appointments into permanent positions.
Background of the Writ
The petition was filed on Chaitra 25 by Advocate Manoj Ghartimagar, who argued that a large number of academic and administrative staff were being appointed without providing competitive opportunities to other qualified candidates.
At the time, a bench led by Judge Dipendra Adhikari had issued a short-term interim order, instructing the university to pause the entire permanent recruitment process based on the notice issued by the university’s Human Resource Management Committee on Falgun 1, 2081.
The writ argued that Gandaki University’s Act and regulations did not contain legal provisions for permanent appointments, and claimed that the process excluded other deserving candidates by bypassing competition.
Respondents in the Writ
Advocate Ghartimagar filed the petition, making the following institutions and officials respondents:
-
Judicial Council of Gandaki University
-
Chairperson Kailashnath Pyakurel
-
Executive Council of Gandaki University
-
Former Vice-Chancellor Ganeshman Gurung
-
Human Resource Management Committee
-
Chairperson Nawaraj Devkota
-
Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, Gandaki Province
-
Ministry of Social Development, Youth and Sports, Gandaki Province
He also submitted a supplementary petition on Baisakh 22 regarding the same issue.
Gandaki University is operated under the jurisdiction of the Gandaki Provincial Government.
