Nagaland government accused of undermining meritocracy in IAS selection process

• DIMAPUR — A coalition of four state service employee associations has levelled a serious accusation against Nagaland government, alleging an attempt to facilitate the entry of backdoor-appointed individuals into the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) cadre.
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• The Confederation of All Nagaland State Service Employees’ Association (CANSSEA), Federation of Nagaland State Engineering Service Association (FONSESA), Nagaland Secretariat Services Association (NSSA), and Nagaland Finance & Accounts Services Association (NF&ASA) issued a joint press release on Monday expressing grave concern over said alleged attempt.
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• The joint statement, issued through the media cell of Core-Committee for Non-SCS IAS Induction, explained that the concern arises from a government circular inviting applications from eligible officers for induction into one vacant IAS post from non-State Civil Services (non-SCS).
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• “The circular, which provided a 15-day application window, saw 10 applicants submit their names by the deadline. However, alarmingly, the circular was revoked just one day after the submission deadline, and the state government subsequently decided to amend the eligibility criteria—most notably removing the fourth criterion that originally upheld merit-based consideration.
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• “This decision was taken under the pretext of following the IAS (Recruitment) Rules, 1954, and IAS (Appointment by Selection) Regulations, 1997, a move the associations describe as a strategic manipulation to accommodate backdoor appointees—officers who entered service without going through the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC),” the statement read.
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• According to the associations, this alleged action undermines transparency and fairness “in an era where meritocracy should be the cornerstone of governance.”
• While the IAS Regulations provide a framework, they never intended to facilitate unethical appointments, they maintained.
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• “In 2018, the Nagaland Civil Service Association (NCSA) had submitted a representation that led to circulars mandating IAS induction only from those appointed via the NPSC, a move seen as a step toward transparency and fairness.
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• “Instead of reinforcing these standards, the recent government’s decision has reversed them. The associations allege that this reversal was tailor-made to benefit a select few, setting a dangerous precedent whereby individuals with questionable modes of entry into service could end up in senior policymaking roles,” the statement read.
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• If entry into the IAS can be manipulated, then no aspect of the system is safe from nepotism, it added.
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• “The office of the CANSSEA, FONSESA, NSSA, and NF&ASA has submitted numerous representations to the state government but has received only a generic reply stating that the process will proceed under the IAS (Recruitment) Rules, 1954, and IAS (Appointment by Selection) Regulations, 1997, ignoring the associations’ calls for stricter eligibility norms and merit-based selections,” it stated.
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• Demanding an “immediate correction of this misstep”, the associations urged the government to reinstate strict merit-based eligibility criteria and cancel all actions taken to favour non-meritorious entrants. “Failing which, they reserve the right to pursue appropriate democratic means of protest and legal recourse,” it added.

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