The Supreme Court has nullified the 2010 recruitment process for Class-IV employees in Jharkhand, ruling it unconstitutional and ordering a fresh hiring drive within six months. The decision underscores the necessity of fairness, transparency, and adherence to constitutional principles in public employment.
A bench comprising Justices Pankaj Mithal and Sandeep Mehta upheld the Jharkhand High Court’s termination of several appointees without granting them a hearing, reasoning that appointments made through an invalid process cannot stand, regardless of tenure. The ruling emphasized that when an appointment process itself is legally void, all subsequent actions stemming from it are equally unlawful.
The Court pointed to multiple irregularities, including a lack of clarity on the number of vacancies, failure to specify reservations, and mid-process rule changes such as the sudden inclusion of interviews. These violations, it held, contravened Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality in public employment.
Relying on precedent, the Court asserted that candidates benefiting from flawed recruitment cannot claim entitlement to their positions. It reiterated that while no one has an inherent right to government employment, the state cannot operate arbitrarily, as fairness in hiring is a constitutional mandate.
This verdict reinforces the principle that any deviation from due process in public employment renders appointments void from inception, leaving no room for protection under the law.
