Dharwad (Karnataka), Dec 15 (NationPress) The Dharwad Bench of the Karnataka High Court has instructed the authorities to review the request from the Akhila Karnataka Students' Association (AKSA), which aims to obtain approval to meet with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah regarding the pressing concern of filling 2.84 lakh vacant government positions within the state.

This directive came after AKSA approached the court, contesting the police's decision to deny permission for a large-scale demonstration in Dharwad that demanded prompt recruitment to fill the vacant positions across various government departments.

A Bench led by Justice M. Nagaprasanna dismissed the petition and instructed the petitioners to contact Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner N. Shashikumar, who has been tasked with facilitating the request for a meeting with the Chief Minister.

The issue gained prominence after approximately 30,000 job seekers protested in Dharwad on December 1, calling for urgent government action on recruitment. The police had previously denied permission for the demonstration, citing concerns over past incidents during similar protests. In response to this denial, AKSA sought the intervention of the High Court to secure the right to peacefully demonstrate and engage directly with the government.

In its legal filing, AKSA pointed out that, according to available statistics, around 2.84 lakh government roles remain unfilled across multiple departments in Karnataka, including 9,536 vacancies specifically in the State Finance Department. The association also highlighted the critical shortage of personnel within the police force and noted that the prolonged delays in the recruitment process have tragically led some job seekers to take their own lives.

The association argued that their repeated representations to the government had not produced meaningful outcomes, prompting students and job seekers to resort to protests to highlight their demands. It emphasized that denying permission for peaceful protest or dialogue infringes upon democratic rights.

The issue of vacant posts was also addressed in the Legislature on December 11. In response to a query from BJP MLC Nirani Hanamant Rudrappa in the Legislative Council, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah acknowledged the extent of vacancies and outlined the government's strategy to tackle the issue.

The inquiry sought information about the steps taken by the government to address the approximately 2,84,881 vacant positions, which include roles in state-run corporations and boards.

Siddaramaiah informed the assembly that there are a total of 2,84,881 vacancies in the state. Of these, 1,01,420 are in corporations and boards, while 14,677 vacancies exist in universities. The remaining vacancies are distributed among various state government departments and local entities.

He confirmed that the Finance Department has already approved the filling of 24,300 positions. Additionally, under the provisions of Article 371J, applicable to the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, 32,132 positions are slated for filling. Overall, the government has initiated the process to fill 56,432 roles, and implementation is currently in progress.

The Chief Minister acknowledged that the recruitment process had been stalled due to matters concerning internal reservation but clarified that these issues have now been resolved.

He assured the Legislature that the remaining vacant positions would be filled in a phased approach following the necessary approvals from the Finance Department.