The Allahabad High Court has restored the selection of a police recruit whose application did not disclose a pending criminal case, holding that the form had asked about convictions rather than pending proceedings.
The Court considered the offence minor, noted that the candidate was underage when it arose and had been acquitted before the adverse employment order. Authorities had earlier assessed him as suitable and allowed training, but later reversed that decision through an unreasoned order.
The cancellation was quashed and the State was directed to treat the petitioner as validly selected, permit training and issue the consequential appointment within eight weeks, subject to unrelated eligibility requirements. The Court confined the ruling to its facts and expressly excluded cases involving grave offences, moral turpitude or conviction. The decision treats disclosure obligations as dependent on the question actually asked, not on a broader duty invented afterwards.