High Court Quashes Singareni Collieries Heir Job Order

Faulting the hereditary recruitment system being adopted by Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), the Hyderabad High Court on Thursday struck down the relevant order issued by the management in December last year.

The company's order facilitated the appointment of the heirs of those quitting service under the Voluntary Retirement Scheme.

Aggrieved by the SCCL order, a person from Godavarikhani filed a writ petition in the High Court stating that some 30,000 jobs were grabbed by the heirs of the former employees, rendering gross injustice to the unemployed youth in the State.

On behalf of the Telangana government, the Advocate General pleaded before the court that only some 5,000 heirs of former employees had applied for the posts, and so no injustice was rendered to the unemployed youth.

However, the High Court differed with the argument of the Advocate General, and struck down the SCCL order, which it said was contrary to the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court.

It may be mentioned here that the hereditary appointments system which was withdrawn in 1998 by then Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was revived in November last year on the instructions of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, as part of a TRS election promise.

The Board of Directors, under the chairmanship of SCCL Managing Director N Sridhar, then took the decision reviving the heir job system. Employees aged between 48 and 59 years by October 11, 2016, were eligible to apply for jobs for their kin - an employee's son, son-in-law or brother between 18 and 35 years of age could apply for a job in SCCL if the employee took up voluntary retirement.

This decision was challenged through a Public Interest Litigation by the citizen, saying it would curtail the Right To Life as guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.

SCCL has already accepted thousands of applications from employees to give jobs to their kin upon their (voluntary) retirement. As sons-in-law are also allowed to take up the heir jobs, most employees have even got matches for their daughters based on promises to grooms of heir jobs.