The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has reiterated its demand for the termination of all illegal and irregular appointments in Nagaland, stating that employees appointed outside the purview of the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) and the Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB) must be removed and the resulting vacancies referred for open recruitment.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, NSF Vice President, Vimeyiekho Vitso said the Federation remained committed to ensuring fairness, transparency and meritocracy in government recruitment, while providing an update on the action taken by the State Government regarding 109 alleged illegal appointments across 16 departments.
Vitso stated that of the 109 appointments under scrutiny, 13 were NPSC posts, with appointments made between 2018 and 2021, while the remaining 96 were NSSB posts, with appointments made between 2019 and 2023.
According to the Federation, these appointments violated the Office Memorandums dated June 6, 2016, and April 22, 2020, and constituted a blatant abuse of the regulations governing the NPSC and NSSB.
The NSF had earlier served a 45-day ultimatum to the State Government, which expired on May 4, 2026. Following an invitation from the Chief Secretary, the Federation had waited for the Cabinet Subcommittee to invite it for discussions on the State Government’s action taken report.
Vitso said the Federation was invited to a meeting with the Cabinet Subcommittee on October 12, chaired by Deputy Chief Minister and Minister in charge of Home and Border Affairs, Y Patton. The meeting was attended by Minister G Kaito Aye, Advisor Dr Kekhrie Yhome, the Principal Secretary of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (P&AR), and several officers from the departments concerned.
During the meeting, the NSF was officially informed about the action taken by the State Government concerning the 109 appointments raised by the Federation.
NSF’s cutoff date for appointments
Explaining the Federation’s position on the appointments, Vitso said that on August 21, 2019, the NSF had written to the Chief Minister requesting a blanket ban on appointments until the NSSB was constituted.
Accordingly, the Federation has taken August 31, 2019, as the cutoff date for examining appointments in relation to its demand for a ban on recruitment until the establishment of the NSSB.
Vitso said the Cabinet Subcommittee and the State Government had informed the Federation that, among the 109 cases raised, two employees under the non-NPSC Group C category had been terminated, while two others had resigned.
The four cases involved an Expert Weaver and a Distillation Assistant under the Department of Industries and Commerce, an LDA in the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, and an LDA in Nagaland State Transport.
Under the NPSC category, three employees had been terminated and one had resigned. The cases involved three Junior Engineers under the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) and an Assistant Station Superintendent under Nagaland State Transport.
Government cites regularisation and compassionate appointments
Vitso further disclosed that the Federation had been apprised during the meeting that the Government had regularised the services of certain employees included in the list of 109 appointments.
According to the information shared with the NSF, some employees had been regularised on the grounds that they were already working in work-charged positions and were subsequently regularised in accordance with the existing regularisation policy.
The Government had also cited appointments made on compassionate grounds, including appointments to posts under the NSSB.
The cases presented to the Federation included seven employees regularised under the Departments of Agriculture and Urban Development; one appointment on compassionate grounds under the Department of Industries and Commerce; and seven appointments through the NSSB under Rule 3, Clause 3, in the Department of Agriculture.
Vitso clarified that the seven appointees under the Department of Agriculture were in the queue system of the NSSB.
The Government also informed the Federation of one appointment made in favour of the next of kin of a victim of the Oting incident under the Works and Housing Department.
In addition, three Group D appointments made with Government approval under the Departments of Food and Civil Supplies and PHED were brought to the Federation’s attention.
These cases involved employees whose services had been regularised or who had been appointed on a regular basis, according to the information presented during the meeting.
The NSF vice president said the Federation would examine the individual cases to determine whether the appointments and regularisations were made on the grounds claimed by the State Government and whether they satisfied the requirements of merit and due process.
He maintained that the Federation would not take a final position on these cases without examining their merits.
Eight NPSC posts still occupied
The NSF also disclosed that eight individuals were still occupying posts under the NPSC category despite having been recruited and appointed outside the purview of the Commission.
The eight posts include two Forester positions under the Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; one Platoon Commander and one Assistant District Commandant under the Department of Home Guards and Civil Defence; two Assistant Station Superintendent posts under Nagaland State Transport; one Information Assistant under the Department of Information and Public Relations (IPR); and one Stenographer under the Works and Housing Department.
Vitso said the Cabinet Subcommittee had assured the Federation October 12th 2026 meeting that the Government would terminate the services of all eight employees.
Reiterating the NSF’s position, he said the Federation was seeking their immediate termination, stressing that appointments made outside the established recruitment process could not be allowed to continue.
NSF demands termination of 22 NSSB appointments
Under the NSSB category, Vitso said 22 posts were currently being occupied by individuals who had been appointed after the constitution of the Nagaland Staff Selection Board.
The Federation has demanded that these appointments be terminated immediately.
He also highlighted another category involving 47 NSSB posts among the 109 cases raised by the NSF.
According to Vitso, the 47 appointments were made after the Federation’s representation dated August 31, 2019, seeking a ban on appointments until the NSSB was established. However, these appointments were made before the formal constitution of the Board.
He said the Cabinet Subcommittee had requested the Federation to consider these cases, given that the appointments were made before the NSSB was formally constituted, despite having been made after the NSF’s representation seeking a ban on appointments.
Vitso said the Federation would examine the circumstances surrounding these appointments and assess their merits before deciding on its position.
He maintained that the NSF would consider the cases individually and respond accordingly after completing its assessment.
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Demands termination of all illegal appointments
Reaffirming the Federation’s stand, Vitso said the NSF remained committed to ensuring that all illegal and irregular appointments were terminated and discontinued.
He further demanded that all sanctioned posts left vacant following the termination or resignation of employees be immediately referred to the NPSC and NSSB for open recruitment.
The Federation also demanded the immediate termination of all employees appointed against non-sanctioned posts, irrespective of the mode through which they had been appointed.
Vitso stressed that appointments against non-sanctioned posts could not be justified merely on the basis of the method of appointment, reiterating the need to uphold established recruitment procedures and ensure fairness in public employment.
He also announced that the NSF would submit a second list of alleged backdoor appointments, separate from the ongoing cases involving the 16 departments.
The Federation expects the State Government to respond positively to its forthcoming representation, he said.
Committed to eradicating flawed recruitment system
Vitso acknowledged that addressing the issue might take time but asserted that the Federation remained determined to eradicate what it described as a flawed recruitment system and restore fairness, meritocracy and transparency in government appointments.
He said the NSF would continue to pursue the matter until the concerns raised by the Federation were addressed and the principles of fair and transparent recruitment were upheld.
The NSF reiterated that its demand was for all appointments found to be illegal or irregular to be discontinued and for vacancies to be filled through the established recruitment mechanisms of the NPSC and NSSB.
NSF President Mteisuding said the Federation had taken serious concern over alleged illegal backdoor appointments in the government sector, which he said affected the interests of students and youths aspiring to secure government jobs through a fair and transparent recruitment process.
He stated that the NSF had submitted an ultimatum to the Nagaland Government on March 20, 2026, demanding the termination of all employees appointed illegally in government departments.
Providing the background to the establishment of the Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB), Mteisuding said the Federation had submitted a representation to the Chief Minister on August 21, 2019, during the tenure of former NSF president Ninoto Awomi , seeking the establishment of the Board to promote meritocracy and transparency in government recruitment.
The NSSB subsequently came into operation in February 2022 and began its recruitment process. However, the Federation later found alleged illegal appointments in various government departments, which Mteisuding said had become a serious concern for the state’s youth and student community.
He said the Federation had continued to pursue the issue and demanded action against appointments made outside the prescribed recruitment procedures.
According to the NSF president, the Federation’s ultimatum was followed by a letter from the Chief Secretary assuring the NSF that the State Government was serious about addressing illegal appointments in the government sector.
Following the assurance, the Federation kept its agitation on hold for approximately five months while awaiting further action from the government.
On October 12, 2026, the Cabinet Subcommittee invited an NSF delegation for a meeting at the Deputy Chief Minister’s chamber at the Secretariat, where the two sides discussed the issue of alleged illegal appointments in detail.
Mteisuding said the Cabinet Subcommittee had assured the Federation that appointments found to be illegal would be terminated.
He described the discussions as positive, stating that the Federation was encouraged by the government’s approach during the meeting.
The NSF president further said the Cabinet Subcommittee had assured the Federation that termination orders concerning certain departments would be issued by the end of the week.
He added that the Federation would monitor the government’s follow-up action and make further plans based on whether the assurances were fulfilled.
Mteisuding, however, cautioned that the NSF would resume its agitation if the government failed to act as assured.
“If things are not okay, the Naga Students’ Federation will come out in the street and fight for justice,” he said.
He stated that the Federation would continue to pursue the matter until the issue of illegal appointments was addressed, reiterating its demand for a recruitment system that ensured fairness and equal opportunities for all eligible candidates.
Appealing to the general public, the NSF president called on citizens to join hands with the Federation in opposing alleged illegal backdoor appointments in government departments.
He said collective support was necessary to ensure that aspiring students and youths were given fair opportunities to serve in the government sector through a transparent and merit-based recruitment process.
Mteisuding said the Federation would communicate its next course of action to the public after reviewing the government’s response and the issuance of the promised termination orders.
The NSF reiterated that its campaign was aimed at addressing irregularities in government recruitment and restoring public confidence in the selection process, while ensuring that vacancies were filled through established recruitment mechanisms.
NSF to expand probe into illegal appointments, push for NSSB coverage
NSF General Secretary Kenilo Kent said departments including Home, Forest, and Health and Family Welfare were currently outside the NSSB’s purview due to technical and administrative challenges, including human resource constraints, service book requirements and categorisation of posts.
He said the State Government was working to address these issues, while the NSF continued to press for a uniform and transparent recruitment system.
Kent said that since the NSSB began operating in February 2022, a total of 1,511 Group C posts had been filled through eight examination cycles.
However, the Federation has identified 109 alleged illegal appointments across 16 departments and will extend its scrutiny to other departments under the second phase of its campaign.
Appealing for public cooperation, Kent urged citizens to report suspected irregular or illegal appointments to the NSF office, assuring that the confidentiality of those providing information would be maintained.
He also thanked the Cabinet Subcommittee and the State Government for taking up the issue, stating that coordinated efforts could improve transparency and create fairer opportunities for aspiring candidates.
Meanwhile, NSF Assistant General Secretary, Veze Tunyi clarified that the Federation’s campaign was not directed against individuals but against a system that undermined fairness, transparency and meritocracy.
He also appealed to appointees aware of irregularities in their appointments to voluntarily step down, stating that prolonged disputes could come at the expense of thousands of Naga youths seeking fair opportunities in government employment.
