Psychologists’ hiring put on hold: Punjab to High Court

Punjab government will not hire 200 psychologists via outsourcing until the next court hearing on Jan 29, following a petition from previously selected candidates.

The state government has informed the Punjab and Haryana high court (HC) that it won’t proceed with the process to hire 200 psychologists through an outsourcing agency until the next hearing of the case on January 29.

Health officials maintained that the decision to cancel the recruitment was taken on administrative grounds (HT File)

The government’s submission came on a petition filed by the candidates, who were already selected for the 343 posts of psychologist and were awaiting joining letters before the state cancelled their appointments on December 18 and started another recruitment process under outsourcing on the same day.

Notably, the Punjab health department had issued directions to the deputy commissioners and civil surgeons to hire the psychologists through a private agency within three weeks, prompting the selected candidates to approach the high court.

The high court’s order, issued on December 23, reads, “On asking of the court, Punjab deputy advocate general (DAG) Satnampreet Singh Chauhan accepts notice on behalf of respondents No. 1 to 4 and on instructions from Dr Sandeep Bhola, assistant director-cum-programme officer, office of director, health and family welfare, Punjab, submits that in pursuance to the memo dated December 18, the appointments to the posts of psychologists shall not be made till the next date of hearing. He seeks time to file a written statement.”

The 343 psychologist posts were advertised in April this year and the recruitment process, including the written examination, was conducted by the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences. The selection process had reached the stage of document verification.

One of the selected candidates, seeking anonymity, said the move was unjust. “Just when we were about to join, the government cancelled the entire recruitment without giving any reason. It is a complete injustice to those who worked hard to clear the written examination,” the candidate said.

Another selected candidate alleged that the government had diluted the eligibility criteria for the new posts to be filled through outsourcing. “There is no written test for recruitment through a private agency. This will lead to the exploitation of unemployed youth, as such agencies pay meagre salaries to the psychologists,” the candidate said.

Meanwhile, health officials maintained that the decision to cancel the recruitment was taken on administrative grounds. They added that the university conducting the recruitment process had been directed to refund the application fees collected from the candidates.