Kohima: Aggrieved personnel of Nagaland Police, whose appointments were quashed by the High Court, staged a peaceful rally outside the Police Headquarters in Kohima on Friday, demanding ‘justice’. A memorandum was also submitted to Director General of Police (DGP) Rupin Sharma, seeking a resolution to their grievances.
According to Additional Superintendent of Police, Additional SP and Public Relations Officer (PRO) Soriso, a total of 1,138 police personnel from the 2018–2020 batch were affected by the High Court’s order. The affected personnel belong to various units under the state’s Home Department.
Holding placards with slogans such as “We don’t want another faction,” “Why recruitment again?” and “We are Frontline COVID warriors,” the aggrieved personnel voiced their concerns during the rally, which was conducted from 10 am to 11 am with prior approval from the district administration.
A total of 150 representatives, representing 40 units, participated in the march to the Police Headquarters (PHQ) to submit their demands. Details of the memorandum remained undisclosed.
The court ruling, made in response to a writ petition, had nullified their recruitment citing irregularities in the appointment process. The petition, filed in 2022 by unemployed youths, challenged the ‘backdoor appointments’ made by the state government without any public advertisement.
The petitioners had argued that these appointments were arbitrary and violated Articles 14 and 21 of the Indian Constitution.
The High Court upheld the petitioners’ claims and ordered the government to conduct fresh recruitment, ensuring strict adherence to eligibility criteria and physical examination standards. While granting a relaxation in the upper age limit for both the affected personnel and the petitioners, the court ruled that the state must advertise the posts in local newspapers and conduct a transparent hiring process.
The affected personnel were allowed to continue in service for six months from the date of judgment or until fresh appointments were made, whichever was earlier.
In January this year, the Supreme Court dismissed a Special Leave Petition challenging the Gauhati High Court’s order.
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