HC quashes appointment of 935 Nagaland Police Constables

Orders fresh recruitment by advertising posts
DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 20: The Kohima Bench of Gauhati High Court has quashed the appointment of 935 Nagaland Police Constables made between January 2018 and October 2019 citing procedural lapses and ordered the State to hold fresh recruitment preferably within 6 months.

Justice Devashis Baruah delivered the verdict in response to a writ petition challenging the “backdoor appointments” made by the State Government without any public advertisement. The petition, filed by the unemployed youth of Kohima and Chümoukedima districts in 2022 argued that the appointments were arbitrary.

Counsel for the petitioners submitted that the selection process of the Constables lacked transparency, as no criteria were publicly announced. He submitted that the appointments were seemingly made through a “pick-and-choose” method.

In his judgment & order, Justice Devashis Baruah also directed the Government of Nagaland to initiate a fresh recruitment process by advertising the posts in prominent local newspapers.

Directing the State to conduct the fresh selection process as per the law, the Court order said the fresh recruitment process must be completed at the earliest, preferably within 6 months and that basic qualifications and physical criteria must be strictly followed.

The Court, however, granted relaxation in the upper age limit for both the private respondents (those whose appointments were quashed) and the petitioners to undergo fresh recruitment but upheld strict adherence to the basic qualifications and physical examination criteria.

The Court also permitted the State Government to allow the private respondents to continue in service for a period of 6 months from the date of judgment or until fresh appointments to the said posts are made, whichever is earlier.

(Page News Service)