Kohima, Sept. 20: In a ruling passed by the Gauhati High Court's Kohima Bench, the ‘backdoor appointment’ of 935 police constables, made between January 2018 and October 2019, was quashed on Friday.
The verdict was delivered by Justice Devashis Baruah, which directed the Nagaland Government to initiate a fresh recruitment process by advertising the posts in prominent local newspapers.
The court also directed the state government to conduct the fresh selection process as per the law.
The ruling also emphasised that the fresh recruitment process must be completed at the earliest, preferably within six months and that basic qualifications and physical criteria must be strictly followed.
The verdict of the Gauhati High Court comes in response to a Writ Petition challenging the 'backdoor appointments' made by the state government without any public advertisement.
The petition, filed by the unemployed youth from Kohima and Chümoukedima districts in 2022, argued that the appointments were arbitrary.
It was contended by the counsel for the petitioners that the selection process of the constables lacked transparency, as no criteria were publicly announced. It was also alleged that the appointments were seemingly made through a "pick-and-choose" method.
The revelations of backdoor appointments resulted in widespread outcry, with various tribal bodies, including the Chakhroma Youth Organisation (CYO) and Chakhroma Students' Union (CSU), condemning the recruitment process as unjust.
The matter was also brought up in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly, where opposition leaders pressed the government for answers.
Following the questions, Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister, Y Patton had stated that the recruitment of police personnel, except for newly created Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) posts, does not require public advertisement, as per a Personnel & Administrative Reforms (P&AR) notification.
It was also explained that the recruitment process was designated to the Director General of Police (DGP) Nagaland, superintendents of police, and commanding officers, with no requirement for ministerial oversight.
