Tripura University Guest Faculty Recruitment Raises Questions Over Reservation Roster

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, August 20, 2026

Questions have been raised over the reservation provisions followed by Tripura University in its latest recruitment notification for Guest Faculty, after the university invited applications for a large number of purely temporary teaching assignments without specifying a category-wise reservation roster in the advertisement.

The issue has assumed significance in view of an Office Memorandum issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India, on November 21, 2022, regarding reservation in temporary appointments. The memorandum, titled “Reiteration of instructions relating to reservation in temporary appointments,” states that reservation for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) is applicable to temporary appointments that are to last for 45 days or more. It further directs all Ministries and Departments to ensure that reservation for SC, ST and OBC candidates is made in all temporary appointments lasting 45 days or more and that the instructions are conveyed to all concerned for strict compliance.

The DoPT memorandum also refers to observations of the Parliamentary Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, which had noted that the earlier instructions regarding reservation in temporary appointments were not being followed in letter and spirit. The memorandum was consequently circulated again to ensure compliance by the concerned authorities.

Against this backdrop, Tripura University, a Central University, issued a notification dated August 18, 2026, inviting applications from eligible Indian citizens for Guest Faculty assignments in several departments. The notification covers departments including Archaeology and Ancient Indian Culture, Bengali, Botany, Chemistry, Commerce, Computer Science and Engineering, Education, Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Fine Arts, Forestry and Biodiversity, Geography and Disaster Management, Hindi, Information Technology, Journalism and Mass Communication, Kokborok, Library and Information Science, Linguistics and Tribal Languages, Business Management, Mathematics, Microbiology, Music, Philosophy, Physical Education, Physics, Political Science, Rural Management and Development, School of Education, Sociology, Statistics and BVoc (Film and Video Production).

The notification provides for multiple Guest Faculty slots across these departments. Significantly, the university has stated that the assignment will be purely temporary and may ideally continue for one academic semester, either Odd or Even, or until a regular faculty member joins against the vacant sanctioned teaching post, whichever is earlier.

The duration mentioned in the Tripura University notification is therefore considerably longer than the 45-day period referred to in the DoPT memorandum. However, the published notification does not provide a department-wise category-wise allocation of the Guest Faculty positions under SC, ST and OBC categories.

The application form issued along with the notification does ask candidates to indicate their category, with separate options for UR, ST, SC, OBC, EWS and PwBD. However, the recruitment notification itself does not show how the advertised Guest Faculty slots have been distributed among these categories.

The absence of a category-wise reservation roster in the advertisement has raised concerns among sections of students, researchers and aspiring teachers in Tripura, particularly those belonging to reserved categories. Questions are being raised as to whether a reservation roster has been prepared internally by the university and, if so, why the category-wise position-wise allocation has not been reflected in the recruitment notification.

The issue becomes more significant when the Tripura University notification is compared with other Central University and college recruitment notices. The notification issued by Assam University, Silchar, dated August 17, 2026, for engagement of Guest Faculty on a purely temporary basis, specifically identifies the vacancy as belonging to the EWS category. The notice also provides for remuneration of Rs. 1,500 per lecture, subject to a ceiling of Rs. 50,000 per month.

Similarly, the Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi, in its notification dated July 15, 2026, for appointment of Assistant Professors on Guest Basis for the 2026-27 academic session, has explicitly displayed vacancies under UR, ST, SC, OBC, EWS and PwBD categories. The Commerce department, for instance, lists separate numbers of posts under these categories, while other departments also indicate category-wise vacancies.

These notifications indicate that reservation categories can be expressly reflected in recruitment notices for temporary or guest faculty engagements. Against this background, the absence of a similar category-wise roster in the Tripura University notification has prompted questions over the manner in which reservation is being implemented in the current recruitment process.

The DoPT memorandum, however, does not by itself establish that Tripura University has violated the applicable reservation rules. Determining whether the university has complied with the requirement would require examination of its approved reservation roster, the sanctioned teaching posts against which the Guest Faculty are being engaged and the specific rules applicable to Central Universities and the concerned recruitment process.

Tripura University has prescribed an honorarium of Rs. 1,500 per lecture for the Guest Faculty, subject to a maximum of Rs. 50,000 per month. The university has also made it clear that the assignment is purely temporary and that it will not confer any right on the appointee to claim regular appointment or continuation in the university.

The university has invited applications up to August 25, 2026, at 4:30 PM, with the walk-in interviews scheduled to commence from August 31, 2026.

With the recruitment process now underway, students and job aspirants are seeking clarity on whether the reservation roster prescribed for temporary appointments of 45 days or more has been duly applied to the Guest Faculty positions at Tripura University.

The matter has consequently raised a wider question over transparency and equal opportunity in recruitment at the Central University. While the DoPT memorandum clearly reiterates reservation requirements for qualifying temporary appointments, the Tripura University notification, as published, does not disclose a corresponding category-wise roster. The university's clarification on whether such a roster has been prepared and implemented could help address the concerns being raised by prospective applicants, particularly from reserved categories.

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