Ranchi, Jan. 23: Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) directive allowing PhD and MPhil degree holders eligible to appear in interviews for lecturers has stirred a hornet’s nest with the government failing to bring any change in the university act, which originally denies the same.

Despite a directive by the Jharkhand High Court to the state government to act according to the mandatory provisions of the University Grants Commission, the government is yet to bring out an amendment in the Jharkhand State University Act, 2002.

In fact, PhD and MPhil holders of the state had moved the court for its intervention. The government only has to delete a clause of the act, which makes it mandatory even for PhD and MPhil holders to clear the National Eligibility Test (NET) or state-level eligibility test for appearing in interview for lecturers.

The “inordinate delay” in doing the same after the court’s verdict is causing “fear” among the candidates. They feel their chances of appearing in interviews, after the JPSC comes up with advertisement in near future, are struck down.

The vice-chairman of the Jharkhand PhD Dharak Shodh Sangh, Surjeet Singh, who is also the principal of RTC High School, Ranchi, blamed the state government for its lackadaisical attitude in failing to amend the act.

Interestingly, the JPSC advertisement for the purpose of Jharkhand Eligibility Test had mentioned that PhD and MPhil holders and already NET/state-level eligibility test qualified candidates need not to appear for the tests. However, JPSC chairman Dilip Prasad said such candidates would be eligible for interviews. “According to the high court order it is mandatory on part of the recruiter agency and the government to exercise the UGC guideline,” Prasad told The Telegraph. Any such deletion in the act would require a cabinet decision and final consent from the governor, sources said.