The Nagaland government appears set to revoke a December 17 cabinet decision regularising the services of 147 assistant professors and librarians “without” following due procedure in the face of protests.

The Combined Technical Association of Nagaland (CTAN) and the Nagaland NET Qualified Forum (NNQF), the two organisations spearheading the protests, said on Thursday that they would discontinue the agitation because higher education minister T. Imna Along had assured them to initiate the process of revocation of the cabinet order on Friday.

The education minister held a nearly three-hour meeting with the protesters on Thursday evening, hours after a 45-minute meeting with chief secretary J. Alam on the regularisation issue.

The two organisations, however, are holding their ground on getting the regularisation order revoked as these were effected “without following due process, including non-advertisement of the posts”.

“We are waiting for the official order initiating the revocation process as verbally assured by the minister,” CTAN convener Meshenlo Kath said on Friday.

He added: “If there is no movement, we will meet and decide on when to resume our protest. Our stand is clear — revoke the regularisation order and bring all these posts under the fold of the Nagaland Public Service Commission. We want the appointments made by following due procedure and merit.”

The two organisations had earlier refused to accept Monday’s cabinet decision to put the regularisation on hold and form a five-member committee to examine the matter by engaging with all stakeholders.

The committee will submit its report within two months.

The two organisations, however, found the cabinet decision “unsatisfactory and insensitive given the ongoing protests”.

On Thursday, the protesters took out a march with a dummy coffin and also held a funeral service to symbolise the “death of meritocracy”, a move reflecting their concern and ire over the NDPP-led state government’s move to regularise the 147 contractual/fixed pay posts.

Sources said over 19 organisations are in favour of revocation of the order, including the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), which had on Monday given a seven-day deadline to revoke the cabinet’s decision or risk facing a sustained democratic agitation.