Kohima, August 1 (MExN): The Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench has directed that the ongoing interview process for recruitment of Excise Constables in Nagaland shall be subject to the outcome of a writ petition filed by sixteen petitioners who have challenged the selection process, alleging violations of service rules and prescribed physical and medical standards.
The order was passed by Justice Yarenjungla Longkumer following a hearing on July 24. The Court issued notice returnable within three weeks and directed that the petitioners serve extra copies of the petition to the learned Additional Advocate General during the course of the day.
“The interview process shall be subject to the outcome of this writ petition,” the Court stated in its interim order.
The petitioners are residents of various districts including Dimapur, Tuensang, Zunheboto, Kohima, Mon, and Niuland. The State respondents are represented by Additional Advocate General V Suokhrie, who accepted notice on behalf of all the respondents.
In the petition, the petitioners stated that they are aggrieved at the conduct of the selection process of Excise Constables “in violation of Nagaland Excise Service (Revised) Rules, 1999 and the Memorandum dated 19.07.2016 which prescribes minimum Medical and Physical standards for selection of all in the Nagaland Excise Department.” They further contended that the constitution of the Departmental Recruitment Board is “against Rule 7 of the extant Service Rules.”
They have prayed for the quashing and setting aside of Letter No. EX/ESTT/4/2010/556 dated 25.03.2025, Notification No. EX-1/ESTT/1/2022 dated 23.04.2025, Corrigendum No. EX-1/ESTT/1/2022 dated 04.06.2025, and the physical test conducted in alleged contravention of Memorandum No. EX-5/3/2000/6036 dated 19.07.2016.
The petition also seeks a direction to the State respondents to constitute a Departmental Selection Board in consonance with the Nagaland Excise Service (Revised) Rules, 1999 and to conduct the recruitment process strictly in accordance with the advertisement dated 07.04.2025 and the physical test standards laid down in the 2016 memorandum.
