India, Dec. 5 -- The ongoing recruitment process for teachers in public universities across Maharashtra has triggered serious concerns among candidates, who say the state government's new selection criteria violate University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines. Many applicants fear that despite meeting UGC's eligibility standards, they are losing opportunities due to the state's stricter scoring formula introduced in October.

The state is currently filling over 600 vacant teaching posts across 10 public universities. However, several candidates told HT that when they evaluate their academic records under UGC norms, they easily qualify, but when they apply the state's criteria, their scores fall short of the minimum requirement.

One such...