Gauhati High Court quashes appointment of 935 Police Constables in Nagaland

September 21, 2024 30 Views No Comment

Directs state govt to conduct new recruitments process

DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 21 (MExN): The Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench, has quashed the appointments of 935 constables in the Nagaland Police, which were made between January 2018 and October 2019, citing procedural irregularities.

Justice Devashis Baruah, who delivered the verdict on Friday, ordered the Government of Nagaland to conduct a new recruitment process. He directed the government to take steps for holding fresh selection by issuing advertisement in local newspapers which are well circulated in the state of Nagaland. The court emphasized that this recruitment should be held in accordance of law and the process is completed preferably within six months from the date of the judgment.

The court ruling also granted a relaxation in the upper age limit for both the petitioners and the quashed appointees for the new recruitment process, while maintaining strict adherence to basic qualifications and physical examination criteria. The court also allowed the quashed appointees to remain in service for six months or until new appointments are made, whichever occurs first.
Friday’s ruling stems from 11 Writ Petition filed in 2022 by 26 unemployed youths before the court seeking the quashing of 935 appointments made in the Police department during the period January 2018-October 2020.

The petitioners challenged what they described as ‘backdoor appointments’ made without public advertisements, arguing that the selections were arbitrary and violated Articles 14 and 21 of the Indian Constitution.

Z Zhimomi, representing the petitioners, argued that the selection process lacked transparency, as there were no publicly announced criteria. The recruitment process had previously faced scrutiny during 2020, when protests erupted, led by the Naga Tribal Union Chümoukedima Town (NTUCT). The NTUCT claimed that only 208 of the 1,200 selected candidates were appointed through an open process, and it demanded that the state government provide evidence of transparency in recruitment.

The NTUCT had also prevented the training of the fresh police recruits at the Police Training School (PTS) and Nagaland Armed Police Training Centre (NAPTC) Chümoukedima.

During discussions in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly in 2020, opposition leaders including NPF member Kuzholuzo (Azo) Neinu had questioned the government about the recruitment process.

Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton, who oversees the Home portfolio, clarified that public advertisements are not required for police personnel recruitment, except for the newly created Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) posts, according to a Personnel & Administrative Reforms (P&AR) notification.