Telangana Govt Clings To Outdated And Unequal Practices

Hyderabad:In its recent verdict, the Telangana High Court has ruled in favour of a junior typist, who was denied regularisation due to a missing typewriting certificate. The judgment, however, has stirred deeper questions about how government job rules continue to lag behind reality, trapping capable workers in limbo while clinging to skills from a bygone era.

M.B. Rajashekar was appointed on compassionate grounds in 2017 after his father’s death in service. Despite holding a BTech in computers and completing an office automation course, he was denied regularisation and issued a show-cause notice for demotion in 2024. His only shortcoming was not possessing a higher-grade typewriting certificate, a qualification originally meant for manual typing roles.

The backward classes welfare department, where Rajashekar worked, had already switched to digital workflows. His work record over seven years remained spotless, even earning him a certificate of appreciation in 2023-24. Yet, officials insisted the rules required him to produce the obsolete certificate.

Justice Surepalli Nanda ruled that denying regularisation amounted to discrimination, especially when other departments had exempted similarly placed staff. She ordered his job to be regularised within four weeks.

The High Court verdict highlights a wider problem. “Government job rules still list qualifications that are barely relevant today. Most junior staff use computers. We don’t even have typewriters in our office anymore,” said Satya Prasad, a Hyderabad-based government clerk.

Adding to the confusion is the lack of uniform policy. Departments like revenue, education, and BC welfare apply different rules when it comes to exempting compassionate appointees from typewriting requirements, even if the job roles are identical. As a result, people appointed under the same circumstances face unequal treatment.

Others point to the practical impossibility of meeting these qualifications today. “You try finding a typewriting school now. There are barely any left. Even the certificates are hard to get because exam boards don’t run them regularly anymore,” said Saritha, whose sister is awaiting regularisation.

In fact, the few who still use typewriters are not government typists at all. “We use typewriters because notary affidavits and legal stamps often require typed formats,” said Rafiq, a legal typist outside the XIX Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Secunderabad. “But even now we mix it with computer printouts now. Pure manual typing is dying.”

Staff unions say it’s time for a complete overhaul of service rules, especially those related to compassionate appointments. “These are not people asking for favours. They’ve stepped in after family tragedies, and many are well-qualified, but they’re punished just because the system hasn’t updated itself,” said Geetha S, a union member.

With the court pushing one case to a fair conclusion, one wonders if a BTech graduate working in digital office systems should be judged on an obsolete skill? And, how many others are quietly working without confirmation or job security simply because the rulebook forgot to catch up?