Issue one advertisment for filling posts of forest guard in Himachal Pradesh: HC

Legal Correspondent

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Shimla, August 23

The HP High Court has directed the Forest Department that as and when it undertakes the recruitment process at the state level in future to fill posts of guards in various forest circles, it must issue one and same advertisement.

Justice Vivek Singh Thakur ordered the department that by doing so it should prescribe common dates for the completion of various levels i.e. screening, physical efficiency test, written examination, results of the written examination, interview for personality test and declaration of the final results in every forest circle and also for the issuance of appointment letter(s) in all forest circles so as to avoid any controversy.

The court passed the order yesterday on a petition challenging the communication issued on August 8, 2019, by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests to all Chief Conservators of Forests in Himachal Pradesh for recasting the seniority list of forest guards for their promotion to the posts of Deputy Ranger (state cadre), as per the merit gained in the direct recruitment/limited direct recruitment process, in order to prepare/draw a state-level panel of eligible forest guards.

It was contended that the process to fill 583 posts of forest guard in all circles was initiated on July 20, 2004, and the written test was conducted the same day, but the process in various forest circles was completed by the recruitment committees on different dates, resulting in the issuance of appointment letters on different dates.

It was further contended that with the preparation of a separate merit list at the circle level, there was possibility of a different criteria, liberal or strict, being adopted in awarding marks by the selection committee concerned. There was every possibility of lesser or higher marks being awarded in the selection of forest guards depending upon the conservative or liberal approach of the committee concerned. And the amalgamation of different circle-level merit lists shall put the topper of a select list at a considerable lower place in the combined amalgamated list.

The court rejected the contentions of the petitioners and dismissed the petition. It observed, “the respondent authorities can amalgamate the merit lists of various forest circles only with respect to those candidates who are appointee of one and same recruitment process but not of those who have been appointed by undertaking a different recruitment process, either prior to or after a particular recruitment process.”

Recruitment done on different dates

It was contended that the process to fill 583 posts of forest guard in all circles was initiated on July 20, 2004, and the written test was conducted the same day, but the process in various forest circles was completed by the recruitment committees on different dates, resulting in the issuance of appointment letters on different dates