“For the information of all concerned, Advertisement No. 54/2024 relating to lateral recruitment for 45 posts at the level of Joint Secretary/Director/Deputy Secretary in different Departments published in Employment News, various newspapers and on the website of the Commission on 17th August, 2024 is hereby cancelled as requested by the petitioner authority,” UPSC said in an official note.
Read more: Government asks UPSC to cancel advertisements related to lateral entry
The development comes after the Centre on Tuesday asked the commission to cancel the latest lateral entry recruitment, amid a row over reservation in the advertised posts. Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh wrote to UPSC chairperson Preeti Sudan and asked her to cancel the advertisement so that marginalised communities get their due representation in government services.
On August 17, the UPSC issued a notification to recruit 45 joint secretaries, directors and deputy secretaries through lateral entry, which is known as specialist appointments (including those from the private sector) in government departments.
The decision drew criticism from opposition parties, who claimed it undermined the reservation rights of OBCs, SCs and STs.Centre’s order to UPSC:
In the letter, the Minister said that for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reservation in public employment is a cornerstone of “our social justice framework” aimed at addressing historical injustices and promoting inclusion.
“Since these posts have been treated as specialised and designated as single cadre posts, no reservation has been provided in these appointments. This aspect needs to be reviewed and reformed in the context of the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s approach to ensuring social justice,” he said.
“I urge the UPSC to cancel the lateral entry recruitment advertisement issued on August 17, 2024,” he added.
Singh said this step would be a significant step forward in the quest for social justice and empowerment.
“It is well known that lateral entry as a principle was endorsed by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission constituted in 2005, chaired by Shri Veerappa Moily. The recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission in 2013 were also in the same direction,” he said.
Why was Oppn against the side entry?
Before the announcement was withdrawn, opposition leaders argued that this lacked reservations for scheduled castes (SCs), scheduled tribes (STs) and other backward classes (OBCs), while the government defended it as a means of attracting specialised talent and expertise.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the lateral entry and accused the Modi government of using it as a backdoor to recruit officers loyal to the BJP’s ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). “Lateral entry is an attack on Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis. The BJP’s distorted version of Ram Rajya seeks to destroy the Constitution and snatch reservations from Bahujans,” Gandhi said on social media platform X.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge described the lateral entry as part of a “well-planned conspiracy” to exclude marginalised communities from government jobs.
Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Tejashwi Yadav and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati also condemned the move, arguing that it deprives disadvantaged candidates of opportunities to advance within the government.
“A question to the honourable judges and the central government who are forcibly seeking a creamy layer in OBC/SC/ST: Where does the so-called creamy layer of these classes go when they are in these positions?” asked Chandrashekhar Aazad of Azad Samaj Party.
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