Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, Mar 15: In a startling disclosure, candidates have accused the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) of tampering with its recruitment process to favor a certain “blue-eyed” candidate for the position of Senior Resident in Microbiology.
The candidates told the Excelsior that SKIMS advertised the openings for Senior Residents in the Microbiology department on January 6 this year and conducted interviews on January 9 to choose two applicants for the available positions.
However, to their astonishment, a third applicant joined as a Senior Resident in Microbiology on March 1 without following the selection process. The candidates contend that the third candidate was a blue-eyed contender who was given the position due to partiality and favoritism.
“We have no issues with the selection of two candidates through the order dated January 9, 2023, but with the third candidate that joined as an SR in Microbiology in SKIMS out of nowhere. The blue-eyed candidate was an in-service candidate who could not obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from her department on time. As a result, she was accommodated later in the process,” one of the candidates said.
The applicants accused the SKIMS administration of displaying partiality toward a certain candidate and ignoring the merit-based selection process. “Why was she not included in the earlier selection list, if she was selected for the job? Furthermore, why was she selected almost one month after the initial selection process, and if the position was available, why was it not advertised?” another candidate asked.
The SKIMS administration, however, refutes any wrongdoing and maintains that the selected candidate was the first on the waiting list. They said that the selection process was transparent and adhered to all the guidelines set by the institute.
“The recruitment process was conducted with no irregularities, and the successful candidate was selected from the waiting list. She was the first person on the waiting list to be offered the position after it became available. The waiting list is valid for six months, during which time candidates may be offered the position if it becomes available,” Director SKIMS, Parvaiz Koul told Excelsior. He added that the candidate had already appeared for the interview and that there were no violations of the selection process.
Follow our WhatsApp channel