Srinagar, Nov 10: The Kashmir University authorities on Sunday evening postponed interviews for posts of assistant professors after massive outcry over the issue.
Deputy Registrar (Recruitment) issued a notice which read: “Due to administrative issues, it is hereby informed to all concerned candidates that the interviews which were scheduled from 11th to 14th November, 2024 for the posts of assistant professor advertised vide Notice No. 13 of 2023 dated 19.12.2023 have been postponed till further notification.”
“We regret the inconvenience for the same (sic),” the notice read.
Sources said the Vice-Chancellor was forced to postpone the interviews by higher-ups after it surfaced that the same were being held at the far end of her tenure, leading to allegations of favouritism and impropriety.
The applicants had earlier said the Varsity authorities had hastily scheduled the interviews to favour a few blue-eyed applicants, after sitting on the short-listing process for nearly a year.
“The VC cannot hold the interviews in the last six months of her tenure. In fact she cannot take any policy decisions henceforth as the same is considered unethical,” said a source, adding that the University has cut a sorry figure by admitting to “administrative issues” in the postponement notification.
Meanwhile, the applicants have welcomed the postponement decision, claiming that “the KU authorities were adamant to go ahead but were stopped by the higher ups from going ahead.”