The state government had, on three occasions, pleaded with the Meghalaya High Court for the roster system to be made prospective and not retrospective.
The opposition Voice of the People Party and Khasi Hills-based pressure groups have been opposing any retrospective application of the roster system in the administration of the government job reservation policy. The VPP has called for a special session of the Assembly to discuss the matter.
Today, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that the government has already tried to make the roster system prospective but has been told by the High Court that it needs to apply all the way back to 1972 when the reservation policy was implemented.
“Back in 2022, the High Court gave the ruling and again we filed the affidavit not less than three times pleading with the High Court that they should allow us to implement the roster system prospectively but the High Court at that time said it should be implemented retrospectively, meaning from the inception,” Tynsong explained.
The government plans to discuss the way forward at the cabinet level, once the Chief Minister returns to Shillong, and then among the governing coalition and finally in an all-party meet.
The lack of a roster system had put the process to fill up government vacancies on hold. Although the system is a controversial one, the state government will go ahead and use it to fill vacancies.
“Right now about 1,000-plus personal interviews have been called and immediately after the process is completed we are going again to advertise for another maybe 1,500 in the police department alone.”
