The Rajasthan High Court at Jaipur has directed state health authorities to re-examine sports quota claims made by several candidates seeking appointment as Nursing Officers. The court ruled that such claims cannot be rejected mechanically and must be assessed strictly in line with state policy and established legal principles.
Justice Ashok Kumar Jain passed the order while disposing of multiple connected writ petitions, all raising a common issue related to recognition of sports certificates under the Outstanding Sports Person category.
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Background of the Case
The petitions arose from the Nursing Officer Recruitment 2023, notified on 5 May 2023. The petitioners-sportspersons from different disciplines such as cricket, kabaddi, kho-kho, rugby, handball, and school-level championships-claimed they were wrongly excluded from selection despite submitting sports certificates.
Most candidates alleged that persons with lower marks were selected, while their own candidature was rejected on the ground that the sporting bodies issuing their certificates were not recognised or affiliated under government policy.
Several petitioners also challenged the final merit list dated 6 December 2024, arguing that their sports achievements were ignored without a proper inquiry.
Counsel for the petitioners contended that their certificates showed participation at national, international, inter-university, or school-level tournaments, and the authorities were duty-bound to verify the status of the organising bodies before rejecting claims.
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They relied on earlier judgments of the Rajasthan High Court, where recruitment agencies were directed to actively verify affiliations and recognition, rather than summarily dismiss sports claims.
On the other hand, the State opposed the petitions, arguing that most of the sporting bodies cited by the petitioners were not affiliated with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) or recognised under the Department of Personnel circular dated 27 May 2022. According to the State, this disqualified the candidates from being treated as outstanding sportspersons.
Court’s Observations
After examining the records and submissions, the court noted that all petitions raised a common legal question and therefore required a uniform approach.
“The recruitment agency cannot reject a sports claim without properly examining the recognition and affiliation of the organising body,” the bench observed.
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Justice Jain explained that the policy requires authorities to look beyond the certificate alone. Instead, claims must be evaluated on objective criteria, including:
- The level of participation (international, national, state, or school),
- The nature of the event,
- The performance of the candidate, and
- The recognition or affiliation of the organising sports body.
The court stressed that authorities must follow the state policy dated 27.05.2022, which governs how sports achievements are to be assessed in public recruitment.
The judgment laid down a step-by-step method for examining sports quota claims. Authorities must verify:
- Whether the candidate fits the definition of “outstanding sportsperson” under the rules,
- The level and category of the sports event,
- Recognition or affiliation of the organising body,
- Actual participation and performance of the claimant, and
- Any applicable domicile or category requirements.
The court made it clear that blanket rejection without reasoned examination is impermissible.
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Final Decision of the Court
Disposing of all the writ petitions, the Rajasthan High Court issued the following directions:
- The respondents shall reconsider and examine the sports quota claims of the petitioners strictly as per the rules and state policy.
- Petitioners are allowed to submit fresh representations within four weeks, along with supporting documents.
- Authorities must verify participation and affiliation carefully and decide claims on merit.
- If any claim is rejected, the authority must pass a reasoned and speaking order and communicate it to the candidate.
- All petitions stand disposed of.
Case Title: Sumitra Runla & Ors. vs State of Rajasthan & Ors.
Case No.: S.B. Civil Writ Petition No. 234/2025 (with connected matters)
Decision Date: 15 December 2025
