A confusing and distressing situation has unfolded within the Kerala secretariat, where several candidates who went through official recruitment processes and formally joined government positions discovered that no sanctioned vacancies existed for their posts. The revelation has left both the recruits and their families in a state of shock and frustration.
The affected individuals had all successfully cleared the selection process, received appointment letters, and reported to their assigned departments on the dates specified. They submitted required documents, completed biometric verification, and were incorporated into departmental records as per standard protocol. Only after these steps were completed did officials inform them that the posts they had joined against simply did not exist in the sanctioned establishment.
Sources within the secretariat suggest the anomaly may have arisen from discrepancies between projected vacancy estimates used during recruitment and the actual sanctioned strength on record. In some cases, it appears that posts were included in recruitment notifications based on anticipated retirements or transfers that never materialized, leaving recruits with appointment letters but no corresponding authorized position.
Affected candidates say they were given cryptic and unsatisfactory explanations when they raised the issue. Some reportedly received oral instructions to wait for further directions, while others were asked to submit written representations. Multiple sources indicate that at least a handful of recruits across different departments are currently caught in this administrative Catch-22 — officially appointed yet technically unemployed with no post to report to daily.
Rights advocates and former bureaucrats have called the situation unacceptable, noting that candidates invest significant time and resources preparing for competitive government exams and should not face such uncertainty after clearing them. Legal experts suggest the state government has a clear obligation to either create appropriate sanctioned posts for the recruited individuals or provide them with alternative suitable assignments while the discrepancy is resolved.
The Kerala government has yet to issue an official comprehensive statement addressing the scale of the problem or outlining a concrete resolution pathway for those affected.
