PUNE: After nearly 15 years of stalled recruitment, the COEP Technological University plans to fill 109 vacant faculty positions by the end of 2026, following a Supreme Court decision allowing appointments against vacant posts without disturbing those under legal dispute.
The appointments were challenged in court, and the Bombay High Court ordered the removal of the faculty members concerned. They subsequently approached the Supreme Court, which issued a status quo order, effectively stalling regular recruitment. The university has 221 government-sanctioned teaching positions, of which around 109 have remained vacant since 2012, Vice-Chancellor Sunil Bhirud said during a media interaction on Tuesday. The deadlock stems from the recruitment of 54 faculty members between 2007 and 2011, when COEP was an autonomous college.
“Once the state government grants its final approval, the university will initiate the actual recruitment process,” Bhirud said.
The university was forced to rely on contractual faculty to manage academic activities. The state government’s Higher and Technical Education Department pursued the matter before the Supreme Court, which has now allowed recruitment against other vacant sanctioned posts, provided the 54 disputed positions remain unchanged.
The proposed recruitment is expected to reduce the university’s dependence on contractual faculty and strengthen its permanent teaching workforce.
