SHILLONG :The Meghalaya High Court has fixed June 4 for hearing a petition filed by a Voice of the People Party (VPP) candidate and NEHU professor seeking confirmation of his service and issuance of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha bye-election.
The matter came up before Justice H.S. Thangkhiew on Thursday, where notices were issued to North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) and other parties named in the petition.
Senior advocate S. Sen, appearing on behalf of the respondents, accepted the notices and sought one week’s time to obtain instructions and clarifications from the university authorities. The court allowed the request.
The petitioner approached the High Court after alleging that NEHU had failed to respond to repeated requests seeking permission and an NOC to contest the parliamentary bye-election.
The seat fell vacant following the death of VPP MP Dr. Ricky A.J. Syngkon.
According to the petition, the professor had already been selected by the VPP as its candidate for the election. However, despite serving at the university for more than two years, the petitioner claimed that his service has not yet been formally confirmed by NEHU.
He further stated that the university has also not issued the required NOC needed for participation in the election process.
Court records show that the petitioner first wrote to the Pro Vice-Chancellor of NEHU on March 5 seeking permission to contest the election after being chosen as a candidate. Later, on April 10, another representation was submitted to the Vice-Chancellor requesting issuance of the NOC.
The petitioner alleged that no response was received.
On May 4, the Pro Vice-Chancellor reportedly informed him that under NEHU Regulation Rule RE-05, only the Executive Council possesses the authority to grant permission to a university teacher to contest parliamentary or Assembly elections.
The petition also raised concerns regarding delay in confirmation of service.
According to the petitioner, he was appointed on September 20, 2025, and had already completed the required service period necessary for confirmation. However, his name was allegedly omitted from the list of teachers considered for confirmation.
Following this, he wrote to the Vice-Chancellor again on May 12 requesting correction of the matter.
The petition further stated that on May 15, the Joint Registrar (Establishment-II) informed him that the Chief Vigilance Officer had already issued a Vigilance Clearance Certificate stating there were no pending complaints, adverse records or disciplinary issues against him.
The petitioner argued before the court that there was no valid reason for withholding either the confirmation of service or the issuance of the NOC.
He also claimed that the prolonged delay had caused mental distress at a crucial stage before the bye-election.
The petition therefore seeks directions from the High Court asking NEHU authorities to process his service confirmation and issue the required NOC within a reasonable time frame.
The matter is expected to come up again before the High Court on June 4.