The Centre on Tuesday asked the Union Public Service Commission to withdraw the ads for lateral entry into senior posts in various ministries, according to a PTI news alert.

The development came after Union minister of state Jitendra Singh reportedly wrote to the UPSC chairperson Preeti Sudan, requesting her to cancel the advertisement for 45 lateral entry posts in various ministries that had prompted the Opposition to allege that the Narendra Modi government was bypassing reservation.

Singh is a Union minister of state with independent charge of portfolios including the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

“I am writing to you on the important issue of lateral entry into the Government of India,” Singh wrote in the letter, a copy of which was put up on social media by a number of journalists on the beat.

“Recently, the UPSC issued an advertisement related to a number of lateral entry posts at various levels in the Central Government,” the letter said.

Singh defended the lateral entry move, but said the advertisements should be cancelled.

“It is well known that, as a principle, lateral entry was endorsed by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission which was constituted in 2005, chaired by Shri Veerappa Moily. The recommendations of the sixth pay commission in 2013 were also in the same direction.

However, both before and after that there have been many high-profile cases of lateral entrants. under earlier governments, posts as important as that of Secretary in various ministries, leadership of CIDAI, etc, have been given to lateral entrants without following any process of reservations,” he wrote.

“Further, it is well known that the members of the infamous National Advisory Council used to run a super-bureaucracy that controlled the Prime Minister's Office.

“While most of the major lateral entries before 2014 were made in an ad-hoc manner, including cases of alleged favouritism, efforts of our Government have been to make the process institutionally driven, transparent and open,” he claimed.

“Further, the honourable Prime Minister is of the firm belief that the process of lateral entry :trust be aligned with the principles of equity and social justice enshrined in our Constitution, particularly concerning the provisions of reservation.”

For the Prime Minister, Singh wrote, “reservation in public employment is a cornerstone of our social justice framework, aimed at addressing historical injustices and promoting inclusivity.

“It is important that the constitutional mandate towards social justice is upheld so that deserving candidates from marginalized communities get their rightful representation in the government services,” Singh’s letter added.

“Since these positions have been treated as specialized and designated as single-cadre poses. there has been no provision for reservation in these appointments. This aspect needs to be reviewed and reformed in the context of the Hon'ble Prime Minister's focus on ensuring social justice.

“Hence, I urge the UPSC to cancel the advertisement for lateral entry recruitment issued on 17.8.2024. This step would be a significant advance in the pursuit of social justice and empowerment,” he said.