Kohima: The Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench quashed the appointment of 163 police constables recruited by the Nagaland government between January 2018 and September 2020.
The court’s decision comes after a similar order quashed the appointment of 935 constables last week.
A single-judge bench pronounced the verdict, setting aside the appointments that were made without proper recruitment procedures or advertisements.
The court found the appointments to be in violation of Articles 14 and 16 of the Indian Constitution.
The petitioners, who are unemployed indigenous youth, argued that the state had bypassed standard recruitment processes, leaving them deprived of job opportunities. In its judgment, the court ruled that the appointments were made arbitrarily, without following due process.
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However, one respondent, identified as Respondent No 74, was exempted from the ruling. The court noted that this individual had been appointed on compassionate grounds against an existing vacancy.
In a related case, the appointments of 40 Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASI), Under Belt Sub-Inspectors (UBSI), Sub-Inspectors (SI), Home Guard personnel, and Havildar Instructors were also set aside and quashed by the court on similar grounds.
The judgment, which has far-reaching implications, was delivered in open court on Thursday.
Also Read | Explained: Why Gauhati HC quashed 935 Nagaland Police appointments