The Supreme Court has cited serious irregularities in the recruitment process while scrapping the appointment of 1,158 assistant professors and librarians in Punjab.

The top court gave the verdict by setting aside a September 2024 ruling by a division bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court that had upheld the appointments.

In its judgment, the court observed that the selection process was arbitrary and did not comply with established rules and regulations, reported India Today.

The apex court observed that the Punjab government failed to provide any valid justification for the appointments.

According to reports, the teachers and librarians had just joined their duties as per the 2021 process.

It was held ahead of the 2022 Assembly polls in the north Indian state.

The SC flagged how the state replaced the UGC method of selection, which includes assessment of academic work and interviews, reported Hindustan Times.

Instead, the state made the recuitments by only a single, written, multiple-choice test.