Shillong, June 23: The Meghalaya High Court on Monday further suspended an order passed by the Voice of the People Party (VPP)-led Executive Committee in the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) revoking the regularization of over 30 casual employees.

The order, dated May 30, 2025, was stayed by the court after six employees, including four junior engineers and two junior architects, challenged the decision.

The petitioners, Wallamjinghun Nongsiej, Andrew Mulieh, Moodifield Lyngdoh, Lariboklang Marbaniang, Dale-Mid-Gift Marbaniang, and Saffiona Dkhar, had their services regularized after completing over a year of contractual service. However, the KHADC executive committee revoked the regularization orders on May 30, 2025, without issuing notices or providing opportunities for hearings to the affected employees.

Wallamjinghun and Lariboklang were appointed as contractual junior engineers on August 16, 2023 while Andrew and Moodifield were appointed on August 31, 2023 in pursuant to the advertisements issued on July 25, 2023 and August 22, 2023 respectively.

After completion of more than one year in service as contractual employees, the services of Wallamjinghun and Lariboklang were reguarlised as junior engineers on January 24, 2025 while Andrew and Moodifield’s services were regularized on October 1, 2024 on the basis of the decision of the executive committee of the KHADC.

Dale-Mid-Gift and Safiona on the other hand were appointed on October 26, 2023 and on December 20, 2023 as per advertisement issued on August 22, 2023. Dale Mid Gift’s service was regularized as junior architect on October 1, 2024 while Safiona’s on January 24, 2025

In its order, the Single Bench headed by Justice B Bhattacharjee has observed that the impugned office order, prima facie, does not indicate that the applicant was issued with a notice or provided with any opportunity of hearing before the decision to revoke his regularisation as junior engineer was made.

It also stated that although, in the impugned order, the regularization of service of the applicant de hors the applicable rule was stated to be the reason for revocation of regularization of service of the applicant, nothing specific has been spelt out to indicate as to what particular aspect of the applicable rule was not adhered to while regularizing the service of the applicant.

“In view of the above, at this juncture, it is deemed appropriate to suspend the operation of the impugned order dated May 30, 2025 till the returnable date,” the bench stated.

The court’s decision has brought temporary relief to the affected employees, who had been working with the KHADC in various capacities.

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