Nagaland identifies 22 appointments made despite recruitment ban

The Nagaland government has identified 22 appointments allegedly made in violation of a recruitment ban imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a Cabinet Sub-Committee recommending their termination, Advisor for School Education Kekhrielhoulie Yhome said on October 12.

The 22 cases are part of 786 appointments identified by the state government as having been made despite an order issued on April 21, 2020, imposing a complete ban on fresh recruitment as part of COVID-19 austerity measures.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Temporary Personnel Information Management System (PIMS) with the Naga Students' Federation (NSF), Yhome said the committee would submit its recommendations to the state Cabinet for a final decision.

“For my part, I recommend that since they were appointed totally in disregard of the government standing order, they should be terminated,” Yhome said, clarifying that the recommendation reflected his personal position and did not constitute a final government decision.

The meeting, chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Yanthungo Patton at the Secretariat, discussed 109 alleged irregular appointments across 16 departments flagged by the NSF.

Yhome said 69 of the 109 cases required further consideration after the committee classified them into different categories. Nineteen cases involved regularisation of services under existing government policies, while 12 appointments were made against Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) posts without open advertisements.

Three cases involved appointments against non-sanctioned posts, while four appointments had already been terminated. The remaining cases included the 22 appointments allegedly made despite the COVID-era recruitment ban.

The NSF said the government had assured it that termination orders for eight employees appointed to NPSC posts without following the prescribed recruitment process would be issued this week.

The posts include two in the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department, two in Home Guards and Civil Defence, two in Nagaland State Transport, one in Information and Public Relations and one in Works and Housing.

The federation has also demanded the termination of 22 employees appointed against Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB) posts after the board was constituted. Another 47 appointments made after the NSF sought a recruitment ban in August 2019 but before the NSSB was established will be examined separately, it said.

NSF president Mteisuding said the federation would scrutinise the government's explanations for appointments regularised under existing policies or made on compassionate grounds. He maintained that all illegal and irregular recruitments must be terminated.

The federation had submitted a representation to the Chief Minister in August 2019 seeking a blanket ban on appointments until the NSSB was established. It subsequently issued an ultimatum on March 20, 2026, demanding the termination of all alleged backdoor appointees.

Yhome cautioned that terminating employees already in government service could lead to legal challenges. He said the cases had been categorised because the circumstances surrounding the appointments varied, adding that the Cabinet would take the final decision.

The NSF said it would decide its next course of action after checking whether the promised termination orders were issued this week. It also demanded that vacancies arising from termination or resignation be referred to the NPSC or NSSB for open recruitment and that appointments against non-sanctioned posts be terminated.

Yhome said the NSSB had conducted eight examination cycles since becoming operational in February 2022, resulting in 1,511 Group C appointments through competitive examinations.

The NSF also plans to submit a second list of alleged irregular appointments in departments beyond the 16 already under scrutiny. It appealed to the public to report suspected recruitment irregularities and assured informants that their identities would remain confidential.