Shimla, June 18 -- The Himachal Pradesh high court (HC) on Wednesday ordered a halt to outsourced recruitment in the state while hearing petitions challenging the government's outsourcing policy and alleged recruitment irregularities. The court said no appointments in government departments or government-controlled undertakings should bypass the established Recruitment and Promotion Rules.

A division bench comprising HC chief justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and justice Bipin Chander Negi observed that a halt to outsourced recruitment was essential. "It is arbitrary and discriminatory for the government to bypass the Recruitment and Promotion Rules in favour of outsourcing," the bench stated.

The government cannot exploit the unemploye...