The Madhya Pradesh High Court has imposed an interim stay on the recruitment process for AYUSH medical officers, including Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani doctors, in the state. The order was passed by the Jabalpur bench of the High Court while hearing petitions challenging the denial of reservation benefits to contractual doctors who have completed five years of continuous service.

The matter has emerged as a major India News Update related to government recruitment and reservation policy in Madhya Pradesh. The decision is expected to affect the ongoing recruitment process conducted through the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC).

The division bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf issued notices to the state government and the MPPSC seeking their response in the matter. During the hearing, the state government requested additional time to file its reply before the court. Representing the state, the Additional Advocate General sought two days’ time to submit the response, which was accepted by the bench. The next hearing in the case has been scheduled for June 23, 2026.

The High Court, while passing the interim order, stayed all further proceedings related to the recruitment advertisements issued on December 31, 2025. This means the appointment process for AYUSH medical officers will remain suspended until further directions from the court. According to the petitions filed before the court, contractual AYUSH doctors who completed five years of continuous service were not being granted the benefit of 50 percent reservation in the regular recruitment process.

The petitioners argued that the state government itself had issued a notification on March 11, 2025, providing reservation benefits to contractual medical officers working in Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani departments after completion of five years of service, provided they were working on equivalent posts. However, despite the notification, the recruitment advertisements issued by MPPSC allegedly failed to extend the reservation benefit to eligible contractual doctors.

Senior advocate Naman Nagarath, appearing on behalf of the petitioners, argued before the court that all contractual AYUSH doctors were already performing duties on the same posts for which recruitment had been announced. He submitted that the only difference between contractual and regular officers was related to salary structure and service conditions. Denying reservation benefits solely on the basis of different pay scales was unjustified and contrary to the government notification, he argued.

During the hearing, the petitioners’ counsel also referred to an earlier contempt case in which the state government had reportedly acknowledged that the AYUSH department approached the National Health Commission seeking parity in salary structure for contractual doctors. The petitioners claimed this itself established that contractual doctors were functioning on equivalent posts and therefore deserved reservation benefits under the notified policy.

The court’s interim order has brought temporary relief to thousands of contractual AYUSH doctors working across Madhya Pradesh. Many of these doctors have been demanding implementation of reservation benefits in regular appointments for several years. Medical associations and contractual employees’ groups welcomed the High Court’s intervention and said the decision has provided hope to doctors serving in remote and rural areas under contractual arrangements.

Several AYUSH doctors stated that despite years of service in government health facilities, they were not receiving the same opportunities and benefits available to regular employees. They argued that the reservation policy announced by the state government should be implemented uniformly during recruitment. The recruitment process had been initiated to fill vacant posts in Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani departments across the state. Officials said the appointments were aimed at strengthening healthcare services, especially in rural and semi-urban regions where AYUSH services remain in high demand.

Legal experts believe the outcome of the case could have wider implications for future government recruitment policies involving contractual employees in Madhya Pradesh. The dispute has also raised broader questions regarding service parity and reservation eligibility for long-serving contractual workers. Observers noted that the High Court’s order reflects the judiciary’s focus on ensuring that recruitment rules and government notifications are implemented fairly and consistently.

The state government is now expected to present its detailed stand regarding the recruitment policy and reservation provisions during the next hearing. The court’s final decision may determine how reservation benefits are extended to contractual AYUSH doctors in future recruitment drives.

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The Madhya Pradesh government has declared nearly 1.20 lakh posts across various departments as “dying cadre”, effectively ending all future recruitment on these positions. The General Administration Department (GAD) has issued official instructions implementing the cabinet decision, making it clear that no new appointments will be made against these posts in the coming years.

According to the state government, the move has been taken to reduce administrative and financial burden on the exchequer and streamline the recruitment structure in government departments. The order covers work-charged, contingency fund, contractual category, and Kotwar cadre posts across the state.

The General Administration Department stated in its directive that strict action would be taken against any department, district collector, commissioner, or departmental head if appointments are made against these abolished posts in violation of the government order. Officials said the instructions have been issued to ensure complete compliance across all government offices and departments.

With this decision, the government has clarified that future recruitment in Madhya Pradesh will now take place only on regular and contractual sanctioned posts. All other categories identified under the abolished cadre system will gradually cease to exist as existing employees retire or leave service.

Officials said work-charged posts were earlier created temporarily for infrastructure and development projects such as roads, irrigation works, and building construction. Employees appointed under contingency fund categories received salaries from temporary expenditure allocations rather than permanent departmental budgets.

Similarly, contractual and Kotwar category appointments were generally made for fixed durations or local administrative requirements. The government has now decided to discontinue fresh appointments under these categories as part of broader administrative restructuring.

According to official figures released by the department, the abolished categories include 16,810 work-charged posts, 55,808 contingency fund posts, and 34,497 contractual and Kotwar category posts. Together, these account for more than 1.20 lakh positions declared under the dying cadre system.

The government has also directed departments to phase out outsourced employees currently working against regular sanctioned posts by March 2027. Departments have been instructed to complete regular recruitment processes in place of outsourcing arrangements within the stipulated timeline.

Officials said the decision is aimed at strengthening transparency and standardising recruitment systems across departments. The government believes that reducing multiple categories of employment will help improve administrative efficiency and create a more uniform workforce structure.

However, the move is expected to trigger debate among employee organisations and contractual workers’ associations, many of whom have been demanding regularisation and long-term job security for years. Employee representatives are likely to seek clarification from the government regarding the future of existing staff working under these categories.

the dying cadre system is generally used by governments when certain categories of posts are gradually phased out without immediately terminating existing employees. Under this arrangement, no fresh recruitment takes place, and the posts automatically cease to exist after current employees retire, resign, or complete their service tenure.

The latest order is also being viewed as part of broader efforts by the state government to control expenditure related to salaries and pensions while focusing recruitment on structured regular positions. Government officials maintain that the policy will help departments better manage staffing patterns and financial resources in the long term.

The decision assumes significance at a time when recruitment policies, contractual employment, and outsourcing practices continue to remain major political and administrative issues across several states. In Madhya Pradesh, opposition parties and employee groups have frequently raised concerns over vacancies, temporary appointments, and delays in regular recruitment processes.

the administration indicated that departments have been instructed to immediately review existing sanctioned strength and ensure that no fresh recruitment proposals are processed under abolished categories. Monitoring of compliance is also expected at the departmental and district administration levels.