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J&K and Ladakh HC Freezes University of Kashmir Hiring, Terms Backdoor Appointments a 'Fraud on Constitution' Under Articles 14 & 16

PolityHIGH
Target:UPSC GS-IIMPSCTeachingSSC GAPrelims HighMains HighStatic GK Link
26 May 2026
~2 min
Source: Indian Express
Key Data:2017Rs 15,0009 years19942010
Bodies:Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High CourtUniversity of Kashmir
Practice MCQs from today's news ▸
What This Article Covers

1.Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh HC bench of Justices Sanjeev Kumar and Sanjay Parihar stayed fresh recruitment at the University of Kashmir and dismissed pleas for regularization of ad-hoc junior engineers.

2.The court termed backdoor appointments based on 'political affiliations' as a 'fraud on the Constitution' and a 'modus operandi' that renders Articles 14 and 16 a 'dead letter'.

3.The judgment analyzed past regularization mechanisms like the J&K Daily Rated Workers Regularisation Rules, 1994, and the J&K Civil Services (Special Provisions) Act, 2010, emphasizing that petitioners cannot claim 'negative equality'.

The Big Picture
Prelims · HighMains · High

The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has frozen recruitment at the University of Kashmir, declaring politically motivated backdoor appointments as a 'fraud on the Constitution' that violates Articles 14 and 16. This judgment critically examines past regularization policies and reinforces the constitutional mandate for equality in public employment, a core issue for governance and polity sections of competitive exams.

Exam Lens

Quick Exam Facts From News

High Court BenchJustices Sanjeev Kumar & Sanjay Parihar
Constitutional Articles CitedArticles 14 & 16
Key Legislation ReferencedJ&K Civil Services (Special Provisions) Act, 2010
Petitioners' Service Duration9 years (since 2017)

1-Minute Revision

  • ›High Court Bench: Justices Sanjeev Kumar & Sanjay Parihar
  • ›Constitutional Articles Cited: Articles 14 & 16
  • ›Target this Data: The petitioners were engaged as Junior Engineers in 2017 on a 'Hire and Fire' basis with a wage of Rs. 15,000.
  • ›Target this Nodal Body: The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court (Bench of Justices Sanjeev Kumar and Sanjay Parihar).
  • ›Target this Legal Point: The Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Special Provisions) Act, 2010, which provided for wholesale regularization.

Mastered this topic? Test your knowledge with a full MCQ quiz.

Practice exam-style questions, track your score, and strengthen your recall.

Q1Static LinkageEasy

The High Court judgment discussed the regularisation of backdoor appointments under which specific Act?

Q2Statement-basedHard

Consider the following statements regarding the judgment by the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court:

1. The court stayed fresh recruitment at the University of Kashmir and dismissed pleas for regularization.

2. The bench declared that the state has rendered the provisions of Articles 15 and 19 of the Constitution redundant.

3. The court emphasized that petitioners cannot claim the enforcement of negative equality based on past regularisations.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q3Data-centricMedium

According to the news, for how many years had the petitioners been working on a contract basis as junior engineers at the University of Kashmir before approaching the court?

Q4Application/ImpactMedium

What was the primary constitutional rationale used by the High Court to term backdoor appointments a 'fraud on the Constitution'?

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