HC stays state renewable energy recruitment advert

Raipur: The Chhattisgarh high court has stayed an advertisement issued by the Chhattisgarh State Renewable Energy Development Agency for contractual recruitment to cluster technician posts, after a batch of petitioners challenged the move alleging that their services were not extended despite their contractual appointment for the 2025–2026 financial year.

The petitions, filed through advocate Narendra Meher by Kamlesh Kumar Sahu and nine others from Raipur district, Yogesh Kumar Sahu and six others from Rajnandgaon district, Leeladhar Sahu and six others from Bemetara district, Narendra Kumar Sahu and five others from Khairagarh-Gandai-Chhuikhadan district, and Ganesh Kumar Sahu and 26 others, came up before a single-judge bench of Justice B D Guru, which stayed the recruitment advertisement and issued notices to the respondents seeking their replies.

The petitioners contended that they were appointed on contract for the financial year 2025-2026 and that their contracts ended on March 31, 2026, but instead of extending their services, CREDA issued a fresh advertisement for the posts.

Senior counsel Mateen Siddiqui, appearing for the petitioners, argued that contractual or temporary employees cannot be removed merely to make way for other temporary employees and that such employees can be relieved only when regular appointments are made. He cited Supreme Court precedent in Manish Gupta vs Chairman, Jan Bhagidari Samiti, along with Chhattisgarh High Court rulings in Manju Gupta vs State of Chhattisgarh and Ankita Namdev vs State of Chhattisgarh.

The petition also pointed to an earlier instance in which the high court had stayed a CREDA advertisement for technician contractual posts. The court issued notices to the Secretary, Energy Department, the Superintending Engineer of CREDA, the executive engineer, zonal office, and the assistant engineer, directing them to file responses.