Relief for the ਪੰਜਾਬ ਸਰਕਾਰ from the Supreme Court: Appointments of assistant professors to remain until new recruitment; the ਸਰਕਾਰ will file a review petition.
a landmark Supreme Court ruling that gives the ਪੰਜਾਬ ਸਰਕਾਰ relief in relation to the hiring of 1158 assistant professors and librarians. The court has granted the ਸਰਕਾਰ’s appeal to guarantee the continuity of education for students in ਸਰਕਾਰ colleges by permitting existing appointments to continue until a new hiring procedure is established. Harjot Singh Bains, the education ਮੰਤਰੀ for ਪੰਜਾਬ, verified this occurrence on social media. The Supreme Court’s ruling, he said, is a “big relief for higher education in ਪੰਜਾਬ” and guarantees “continuity of education for our students”. In an effort to “save the 1158 recruitment” for good, the Punjabi ਸਰਕਾਰ is currently submitting a review petition. The administration intends to argue its position “strongly” in court. This shows that the ਸਰਕਾਰ is taking additional legal actions to secure these jobs and preserve stability in the state’s higher education system, even though the current reprieve is only temporary.
The Supreme Court does not cancel recruitment on 24 July.
Due to noncompliance with recruitment regulations, the ਪੰਜਾਬ and Haryana High Court cancelled the recruitment in August 2021, sparking the issue. Due to legal challenges to this decision, the recruitment was finally approved by a double bench of the High Court in September 2024. The matter was then brought to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court first cancelled the hiring on July 24, 2025, which left these academics’ careers in doubt and presented the administration with an issue with regard to educational continuity. In response, the ਪੰਜਾਬ ਸਰਕਾਰ petitioned the Supreme Court to permit the teachers to stay on the job until the conclusion of a fresh hiring procedure.
The Supreme Court has provided the administration a big temporary reprieve by granting this motion. This implies that the 1158 assistant professors and librarians will continue to serve in their current positions. Harjot Singh Bains, the education ਮੰਤਰੀ for ਪੰਜਾਬ, claims that this ruling guarantees students’ continuous education in ਸਰਕਾਰ universities. Although this is a short-term solution, the ਸਰਕਾਰ is currently getting ready to submit a review petition in order to persuasively argue for the ongoing, permanent use of these hiring practices. The goal of this action is to stabilise ਪੰਜਾਬ’s higher education system and secure jobs.
