Supreme Court Upholds Stability in Public Service Recruitment Rules

The Supreme Court ruled that changing recruitment rules mid-process is impermissible unless allowed by existing regulations or advertisements. Alterations must adhere to Article 14's non-arbitrariness requirement. The judgment stems from Tej Prakash Pathak's case regarding recruitment changes, with context from prior cases like K Manjusree v. Andhra Pradesh.

In a significant ruling on Thursday, the Supreme Court declared that the rules governing recruitment in public services cannot be altered mid-selection unless explicitly permitted by the relevant regulations or advertisements. This decision was delivered by a bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, alongside Justices Hrishikesh Roy, PS Narasimha, Pankaj Mithal, and Manoj Misra.

The court emphasized that eligibility criteria announced at the start of a recruitment process are immutable unless authorized changes adhere to existing rules. Any permissible modifications must comply with Article 14, meeting the test of non-arbitrariness. The full judgment is yet to be published.

This ruling arises from the case of Tej Prakash Pathak and Others versus Rajasthan High Court and others, addressing the legality of altering recruitment protocols midstream. The bench considered precedents like K Manjusree v. State of Andhra Pradesh, which conflicted with earlier decisions in cases such as State of Haryana versus Subash Chander Marwaha, thereby refining the legal stance on this issue.

(With inputs from agencies.)