Allahabad High Court asks UP government to fill senior-level teaching posts in all medical colleges

PRAYAGRAJ: The Allahabad High Court on Monday asked the Uttar Pradesh government to ensure that vacancies in senior teaching posts in state’s medical colleges are expeditiously filled. A bench of Justice Alok Mathur passed the order on a plea by a woman professor of a Saharanpur medical college, Dr Yasmeen Usmani, who was entrusted the task of teaching students for four days in the Meerut Medical College and two days in the Saharanpur college. The bench also stipulated that its order be sent to the Medical Education’s principal secretary of the state government.

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In her plea, Dr Usmani, a professor in the Radio-Diagnosis Department, had pointed out that she was currently posted at Shaikh-Ul-Hind Maulana Mahmood Hasan Medical College, Saharanpur. But the state government had directed her to perform her duties for four days a week at the Meerut Medical College and for the remaining two days at the Saharanpur college from August 24, 2021. She had moved the high court challenging the government August 2021 order.

She had pointed out to the court that the government’s order to perform her duties in two colleges 150 km apart has put her in a piquant situation. She told the court that the piquant situation has arisen due to vacancies in the specialists’ posts in the Radio-Diagnosis Department. She submitted that being a woman, it is difficult for her to commute 150 km twice a week and accordingly she requested to be allowed to work at her present place of residence in Meerut. The state government counsel also supported her plea.

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Disposing of the petition, the court asked the petitioner to make a fresh representation before the Medical Education’s principal secretary, within two weeks. It also asked the government to consider her plea on merit within four weeks and apprise the court of its decision. While passing the above directives on December 20, the court took serious note of vacant posts in the state’s medical colleges.

“This court has an opportunity to notice the present situation where at such senior level in two medical colleges, there is an acute shortage of senior staff including the posts of professor in the Radio-Diagnosis Department which has led to the passing of the aforesaid order.” “It also transpires that the said situation is in existence at least since 2018 and for the last two years not much efforts have been made to make fresh appointments at the post of Professor in the Radio-Diagnosis Department,” the court said.