The Covid-era appointed health workers regularisation issue persists in Nagaland despite the High Courts and Supreme Court upholding the SRD.
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My attention has been drawn to a press release by JAC of Covid era appointed health workers on 9th February 2026 regarding the cabinet decision to put their regularisation process on hold in spite of the High Courts and Supreme Court upholding the SRD. In the past, I used to be sceptical about this issue because it looked more like backdoor appointment, but the successive court judgements compelled me to go through the sequence of events and I realised, albeit, belatedly, the following facts led the High Court and the Supreme Court to their respective judgements which I was not well informed.
1) The so-called Covid appointees are not occupying posts arising out of normal retirement vacancies or post created earlier. But they are occupying the posts which were created during the peak of the Covid pandemic to combat the deadly epidemic. As per the protocol prevailing that time, online and open interview was conducted but the department could not fill up all the created post as many doctors were not willing to join. Even after their appointment, many doctors left the jobs but these 97 doctors stayed put throughout the pandemic and have been rendering their service till now. So, in the first place, this is not a backdoor appointment but they were appointed during extra ordinary situation against the posts created to combat Covid-19.
2) The Health department requested the NPSC to conduct the special recruitment exam on the basis of the state cabinet where special incentive marks to be given to all to Covid era health workers, the Nagaland public service commission expressed its inability to conduct such examination as the recruitment rules stipulated by Health department was outside their rules, and instead, the commission gave NOC to the Health department to conduct the special recruitment drive.
3) The state cabinet decided to regularise the service of 97 doctors who are still in contract service because of the nature they were appointed and also for the extra ordinary service they rendered.
4) The Health department started the process to conduct SRD to regularise their services
5) Nagaland Medical Students’ Association and some group of doctors filed writ petition against the SRD both in Guwahati High Court, Kohima Bench and Supreme Court later. These entities are the primary stake holders and they got full opportunity to present their case to the courts for remedy. The groups even dragged Covid-appointed doctors to the court for no faults of their own but it is appreciable that they chose legal routes.
6) Both High Court and Supreme Court could not find any lapse in the state cabinet decision to regularise the service of these doctors and also upheld the SRD.
7) Accordingly, the state government had already issued the regularisation order and all the doctors have given their joining report.
8) Suddenly, the NSF started putting pressure on the state government not to go ahead with the regularisation process and the state cabinet decided to put the process on hold and constitute a HPC headed by Deputy CM.
Having gone through all these sequences it is clear that the SRD stood the scrutiny of the highest courts of the country. Moreover, the aggrieved parties, NMSA and others chose legal route, and since the courts have given their judgements, the issue should be laid to rest now. The NSF has been supporting the groups which are against the SRD, but now, it is not wise for them to rake up the issue again at this time as they are not even stake holders. It is like a person throwing stone at neighbour’s house to ferment troubles. Regular recruitment could not take place because of this stalemate for last 5-6 years now and the NSF being a party to this is also ensuring unhealthy competition for future recruitment exams as those who passed out 5,6 years back will compete with freshly passed out graduates, and under this situation the competition is naturally one-sided. I strongly feel that the NSF should lay off its hand on this issue without delay because if they continue to obstruct delivery of justice then contempt petition is inevitable which is not good for both the state government and the NSF. Let’s bring this matter to a closure for the good of all.
Vezoto Chakhesang
Model village, Chumoukedima