SHILLONG, OCT 13: The Meghalaya Cabinet on Tuesday approved the regularisation of 26 adhoc employees who had been left out of the earlier process, with Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma saying the government has regularised nearly 4,000 such employees over the past few years.

Speaking to reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Sangma said the 26 employees formed the fifth batch under the regularisation exercise.

“This is the fifth batch. There were another 26 who were left out and we have regularised them also,” he said.

The employees were appointed on an adhoc basis against sanctioned posts on or before December 31, 2007, but their appointments were made without following the prescribed procedures, including examinations and interviews.

Sangma said the regularisation exercise was being undertaken in accordance with a Supreme Court ruling that permits the regularisation of certain employees appointed on an adhoc basis against sanctioned posts.

He added that the government had regularised more than 3,000 employees over the past four to five years, taking the total to nearly 4,000.

The latest Cabinet decision extends the regularisation benefit to the 26 employees who had not been included in the earlier batches.