The High Court of Kerala on Tuesday stepped in to pause an appointment process at Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited (KMML), after a candidate challenged the eligibility of the person placed first in the final rank list. The court issued an interim order restraining authorities from issuing any appointment order until early January.
Background of the Case
The case arose from a writ petition filed by D’Cruz Anisha D, a 36-year-old law graduate from Kollam district. She had participated in the selection process for the post of Legal Officer at KMML, a state-owned enterprise.
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According to the petition, the Kerala Public Enterprises (Selection and Recruitment) Board had published a rank list on 23 December 2025. The candidate placed at Rank No.1 was Hashim M. Kabeer, while the petitioner stood second in the list.
The core grievance raised before the court was that the top-ranked candidate allegedly did not possess the prescribed qualifications mentioned in the original recruitment notification issued in November 2020. The petitioner argued that if an appointment order were issued, her legal challenge would become meaningless.
During the admission hearing, counsel for the petitioner submitted that the qualifications required under the notification were clear and mandatory. It was argued that the eligibility of the first-ranked candidate was questionable, and allowing the appointment to go through would cause irreversible harm.
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“The appointment, if made now, would render the writ petition infructuous,” the petitioner’s counsel told the court.
The State Government, KMML, and the recruitment board were represented by their respective counsel, while notices were directed to additional respondents, including the top-ranked candidate and the University of Kerala.
Court’s Observation
After hearing the submissions, the court took note of the limited but serious nature of the grievance raised at the initial stage. Justice K. V. Jayakumar observed that the concern expressed by the petitioner required protection until the matter could be examined in detail.
The bench noted that an interim arrangement was necessary to preserve the subject matter of the case.
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Decision of the Court
Granting interim relief, the High Court ordered that no appointment order shall be issued to the first-ranked candidate until 5 January 2026.
“The court is of the view that an interim order is required in the facts and circumstances of the case,” the bench observed while issuing the restraint.
The matter has been posted for further consideration after notice is served on all respondents.
Case Title: D’Cruz Anisha D v. State of Kerala & Others
Case No.: WP(C) No. 41387 of 2025
Case Type: Writ Petition (Civil)
Decision Date: 30 December 2025
