The High Court of Manipur on Wednesday quashed the Recruitment Rules, 2015 in respect of the post of Scientific Assistant (Toxicology) and the consequent advertisement in respect of the said post.
A single bench of the high court, Justice MV Muralidaran gave the directive following a writ petition filed by one Md Zahir Shah who stated that the recruitment rules and the advertisement for the said post violated the well established principle of law.
The court also directed the respondents to reconsider the appropriateness of the educational qualifications already prescribed by considering the claim of the petitioner for inclusion of the education qualification of M.Sc. in Toxicology as one of the’ essential qualifications for appointment to the post of Scientific Assistant (Technology) with suitable conditions as the authorities may deem fit.
The respondents are Home department, department of Personnel and Administrative Reform, the director of Forensic Science Laboratory, Pangei and Manipur Public Service Commission.
The petitioner also prayed to direct the respondents to initiate the process for appointment to the post of Scientific Assistant after the qualification of MSc (Toxicology) is incorporated in the essential qualifications and to exclude other unrelated subjects from the rules such as chemistry and biochemistry.
“In the instant case, while publishing the Recruitment Rules, 2015, the qualification of MSc (Toxicology) was excluded for appointment to the post of Scientific Assistant (Toxicology), the post is directly related with the said subject and the right of the petitioner along with other persons who possessed the said qualification has been deprived of,” the judgment order mentioned.
The writ petition was earlier listed before the division bench comprising the then acting Chief Justice N Kotiswar Singh and Justice Kh Nobin Singh. As the judgment of the division bench expressed differing views, the matter was placed before the single bench of Justice MV Muralidaran.
