𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁! 𝗡𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆

The Joint Coordination Committee (JCC), an umbrella body comprising the CANSSEA, NSSA, NF&ASA, NIDA, and FONSESA, has made a fervent appeal to the citizens of Nagaland to uphold the principles of meritocracy and good governance, even as it continues its protest against what it alleges to be a government attempt to induct an ineligible candidate into the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) through non-transparent means.

The JCC has been on a black badge protest since September 24, 2025, and a Pen Down Strike since October 14, 2025, after several representations to the state government went unanswered. In a public statement, the JCC clarified that its protest is not directed against any individual or the government itself, but against policies that, it claims, “subvert meritocracy and distort the very concept of fairness in public service.”

According to the JCC, the controversy traces back to 2018 when the Nagaland Civil Service Association (NCSA) recommended to the government that only those recruited through the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) should be eligible for induction into the IAS under the Indian Administrative Service (Recruitment) Rules, 1954.

Subsequently, a Vacancy Circular dated July 6, 2020, approved by the Chief Minister, incorporated Clause-4, which restricted eligibility to officers recruited through the NPSC. Based on this, one non–State Civil Service (SCS) officer was inducted into the IAS without any objections from the Cabinet, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), or the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

However, when the same eligibility clause was reiterated in a March 10, 2025 Circular, the JCC alleges that the government later withdrew the notification on April 24, 2025, and issued a new circular that relaxed the eligibility criteria, allowing non-NPSC appointees to apply.