The Supreme Court has ruled that advertisements for public employment must explicitly mention the number of available posts. Failure to do so renders the recruitment process illegal and unconstitutional due to a lack of transparency.
A bench comprising Justices Pankaj Mithal and Sandeep Mehta upheld the termination of candidates selected through a 2010 Jharkhand High Court recruitment drive, as the advertisement failed to specify the number of vacancies. Citing precedent from Renu v. District and Sessions Judge, Tis Hazari Courts, Delhi (2014), the Court reaffirmed that a valid job advertisement must clearly state the total posts, reservation ratio, minimum qualifications, and selection procedures.
The ruling also emphasized that if a state chooses not to implement reservations based on quantifiable data, this decision must be explicitly mentioned in the job notice. The Court struck down the entire recruitment exercise as unconstitutional for omitting these essential details, reinforcing its stance that appointments violating statutory rules and constitutional principles are legally void.
