SC upholds cancellation of 935 police jobs in Nagaland

Morung Express news 
Kohima | January 25

The Supreme Court has dismissed a Special Leave Petition challenging an impugned judgement and order passed by the Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench where the appointment of 935 police constables and 40 SI/UBSIs were quashed and set aside last year. 

It may be recalled that the Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench had quashed the appointment in the month of September last year. 

The petition was called for hearing on January 21 in the division Bench of Justice BR Gavai, Justice Augustine George Masih and Justice K Vinod Chandran. The Bench however denied interference in the judgement. 

Upon hearing the counsel, the Court said, "we are not inclined to interfere with the impugned judgment and order passed by the High Court." The Bench added that the special leave petitions are, accordingly, dismissed and subsequently disposed of the case.

Between January 2018 and October 2019, the Nagaland Police appointed 935 constables without issuing public advertisements for these positions. This recruitment process faced criticism for its lack of transparency and was labeled as "backdoor appointments" by various groups. In 2022, 26 unemployed youths from Kohima and Chümoukedima districts filed 11 writ petitions in the Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench, challenging the legitimacy of these appointments. They argued that the recruitment violated Articles 14 and 21 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantee equality before the law and the right to life and personal liberty, respectively.

In September 2024, Justice Devashis Baruah of the Gauhati High Court ruled in favor of the petitioners, citing procedural irregularities, primarily the absence of public advertisements for the constable posts. The court quashed the appointments and directed the Nagaland government to initiate a fresh recruitment process. The court emphasized that the new recruitment should be conducted in accordance with the law, with advertisements published in widely circulated local newspapers, and completed preferably within six months from the date of the judgment. Additionally, the court allowed the quashed appointees to remain in service for six months or until new appointments were made, whichever occurred first. It also granted a relaxation in the upper age limit for both the petitioners and the quashed appointees in the new recruitment process, while maintaining strict adherence to basic qualifications and physical examination criteria.

Following the High Court's decision, Nagaland's Director General of Police (DGP), Rupin Sharma, announced that the police department would soon advertise afresh to recruit the 935 constables. He acknowledged the court's directive to conduct a new recruitment process with proper advertisements and mentioned that the administrative process should be completed within six months. The DGP also noted that affected job-seekers had the option to pursue legal remedies as per the court's order.



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