HC clears way for 35K cops’ recruitment

ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad high court on Thursday dismissed all writ petitions challenging the recruitment process of police constables in the state, thus clearing the way for recruitment of 35,000 constables.

With the dismissal of these petitions, the stay order on declaration of final result of recruitment of police constables stands vacated.

Hearing the petitions filed by Ran Vijay Singh and several others, a division bench comprising chief justice DB Bhosale and justice Suneet Kumar directed that “there is nothing wrong if the constables are recruited on the basis of merit and not by written examination.”

The petitioners had challenged the order passed by the previous Samajwadi Party government in 2015, whereby it was directed that police constables would be recruited without written examination, but on the basis of marks in high school and intermediate examinations.

According to the petitioners, as per police recruitment rules2008, constables should be recruited on the basis of written examination followed by physical test. “In 2013, the same method was followed for recruitment of police and PAC constables,” the petitioners said.

However, in 2015 the state government changed its earlier practice and decided to recruit constables on the basis of merit, they said.

The petitioners had contended that not holding written examination was against the interests of meritorious candidates.

In 2015, the high court, in an interim order, directed that the result of selection of constables would not be declared till the final court order.