SC: Grievance redressal linked to recruitment can't go on indefinitely

New Delhi, February 26

Noting that a candidate can’t be permitted to approach any forum for the redressal of his grievance at any stage of time during a recruitment process, the Supreme Court has said it can’t go on indefinitely.

“In our view, in a recruitment process, a candidate cannot be permitted to approach for redressal, howsoever may be the genuineness of the grievance, at any stage of time as there has to be a closure to the process of recruitment,” a Bench said while dealing with an appeal by a man who had applied for the post of sub-assistant engineer (civil) in 1999 in West Bengal.

He cleared the medical fitness test but his appointment got stuck as the police verification report wasn’t received. After waiting for about seven years for the appointment letter, he approached the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT). Thereafter his application was considered and, in 2006, the PWD flagged the non-receipt of the police verification report.

He made a second application seeking to forgo the report. It was rejected by the SAT on the ground that he had not made the representation to know the fate of the report. —