No reservations in lateral entry appointments, says government in Rajya Sabha

Reservation is not applicable in appointments made through the lateral entry mode, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.

The lateral entry is referred to as the appointment of specialists, including those from the private sector, in government departments.

"So far, 63 appointments have been made at the level of Joint Secretary/Director/ Deputy Secretary on a contract/ deputation basis into various government departments through lateral entry since 2018 in three cycles (2018, 2021 & 2023)," Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said in a written reply.

He said these appointments have been made for specific assignments, keeping in view their specialised knowledge and expertise in the domain area.

"Since each of these appointments has been made against a single post cadre, the reservation is not applicable in view of the Hon’ble Supreme Court judgement in the case titled ‘PGIMER, Chandigarh Vs. Faculty Association and Ors’ and, accordingly, category wise data of the appointed officers has not been maintained," the minister said.

Presently, 43 officers are in positions in various ministries/departments, Singh said.

The minister was responding to queries seeking details of the recruitment of officers in the central government through lateral entry in the last five years and "whether a reservation pattern has been followed in this recruitment," among others.

Following a political row over the lack of a reservation provision, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in August last year cancelled its advertisement to fill key posts in government departments through lateral entry.

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