Amid political row, UPSC cancels ‘lateral entry’ recruitment ad after letter from Centre

“Since these positions have been treated as specialized and designated as single-cadre posts, there has been no provision for reservation in these appointments,” he said in the letter.

Singh said that “this aspect needs to be reviewed and reformed in the context of the Prime Minister’s focus on ensuring social Justice”. “Hence, I urge the UPSC to cancel the advertisement for lateral entry recruitment issued on 17.8.2024. This step would be a significant advance in the pursuit of social justice and empowerment,” read the letter.

Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw wrote on X, “Hon’ble PM @narendramodi Ji has always firmly believed in social justice. His programmes have advanced welfare of the weakest sections of our society. The decision to align lateral entry with principles of reservation shows PM Shri @narendramodi Ji’s commitment to social justice.”

Hon’ble PM @narendramodi Ji has always firmly believed in social justice. His programmes have advanced welfare of the weakest sections of our society.

The decision to align lateral entry with principles of reservation shows PM Shri @narendramodi Ji’s commitment to social…

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) August 20, 2024

UPSC issues cancellation notice

Soon after receiving the letter from Union minister Singh, the UPSC issued a cancellation notice. “It is for information of all concerned that the Advertisement No. 54/2024 pertaining to Lateral recruitment for 45 posts of the level of Joint Secretary/Director/Deputy Secretary in different Departments published in the Employment News, various Newspapers and on the website of the Commission on 17th August, 2024 is cancelled as requested by the requisitioning authority,” read the notice issued on Tuesday afternoon.

According to top sources in the Department of Personnel and Training, the Government will explore how to apply reservation to lateral entry. As of now, the entry process has been cancelled.

On August 17, the UPSC issued an advertisement seeking applications for “talented and motivated Indian nationals for Lateral Recruitment” to the posts of joint secretary, director, and deputy secretary in 24 central ministries.

The advertisement created a political furore with the Opposition and key allies of the BJP—the JD(U) and the LJP—opposing the move.

On Monday, the Congress continued its attack on the Narendra Modi government over the UPSC advertisement, with Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi calling it an “attack on Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis”.

Differences also emerged in the BJP-led NDA over the UPSC decision. The Janata Dal (United) and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) opposed the move while the Telugu Desam Party came out in support, saying that lateral entry into the bureaucracy “will enhance the quality of governance and delivery of services to the common citizen”.

Reacting to the Government’s decision to cancel the advertisement, Rahul Gandhi wrote on X, “We will thwart conspiracies like BJP’s ‘lateral entry’ at any cost… I am saying it again – by breaking the 50% reservation limit, we will ensure social justice on the basis of caste count. Jai Hind.”

LJP leader and Union minister Chirag Paswan thanked PM Modi for the decision.

“I and my party Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) have never been in favour of the process of recruitment through lateral entry in the #UPSC by the Central Government. My demand was that any government appointments should be made keeping in mind the provisions of reservation. Today, on the instructions of the prime minister, a decision has been taken to cancel this process, which my party and I welcome. Prime Minister, Hon’ble Shri @narendramodi-led NDA government at the Centre is committed to the uplift of weaker sections of the society. In such a situation, this decision is in favor of Dalits and backwards. This decision reflects the prime minister’s commitment to social justice. My party and I thank the prime minister for this,” he wrote on X in Hindi.

केंद्र सरकार द्वारा #UPSC में लेटरल एंट्री के द्वारा भर्ती की प्रक्रिया का मैं और मेरी पार्टी लोक जनशक्ति पार्टी (रामविलास) कभी पक्षधर नहीं रही है। मेरी मांग थी की कोई भी सरकारी नियुक्तियां आरक्षण के प्रावधानों को ध्यान में रखकर होनी चाहिए।
आज प्रधानमंत्री जी के निर्देश पर इस… pic.twitter.com/U4n2R8cNLy

— युवा बिहारी चिराग पासवान (@iChiragPaswan) August 20, 2024

‘Super-bureaucracy’ under UPA

Jitendra Singh’s letter to the UPSC chief said, “It is well known that, as principle, lateral entry was endorsed by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission, which was constituted in 2005, chaired by Shri Veerappa Moily.”

“The recommendations of the sixth pay commission in 2013 were also in the same direction. However, both before and after that there have been many high-profile cases of lateral entrants. Under earlier governments, posts as important as that of Secretary in various ministries, leadership of UIDAI, etc., have been given to lateral entrants without following any process of reservations. Further, it is well known that the members of the infamous National Advisory Council used to run a super-bureaucracy that controlled the Prime Minister’s Office,” said the letter.

The letter also said “most of the major lateral entries before 2014 were made in an ad hoc manner, including cases of alleged favoritism” but that efforts of the BJP-led governments “have been to make the process institutionally driven, transparent and open”.

“Further, the Prime Minister is of the firm belief that the process of lateral entry must be aligned with the principles of equity and social justice enshrined in our Constitution, particularly concerning the provisions of reservation,” read the letter.

Singh’s letter further 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 inclusivity”.