A contempt petition has been filed before the Supreme Court challenging the Patna High Court’s amended recruitment rules that reserve 40% of sanctioned Regular Mazdoor posts for candidates selected or recommended by the Chief Justice or High Court judges.
The plea alleges that the arrangement conflicts with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Renu v. District & Sessions Judge, Tis Hazari, which stressed transparency and public advertisement in appointments to judicial institutions. The Supreme Court has previously emphasised that public appointments should provide eligible candidates a fair opportunity to apply.
The challenge concerns the Patna High Court Officers and Staff (Recruitment, Appointment, Promotion and Other Conditions of Service and Conduct) Rules, 2021, as amended in July and August 2025.
According to the petition, the Thirteenth Amendment Rules initially permitted 25% of Regular Mazdoor posts to be filled through selection or recommendation under the Patna High Court Judges’ Domestic Help (Modified) Scheme, 2025. The Fourteenth Amendment later increased this quota to 40%.
The petition states that the High Court has 240 sanctioned Regular Mazdoor posts.
The remaining 60% posts are filled through direct recruitment involving eligibility requirements, written examination, skill testing and an interview. Candidates must also meet prescribed educational and other conditions.
The petition claims that candidates recommended by the Chief Justice or judges face fewer requirements, with the selection taking place without the same open recruitment process.
The plea states,
“The establishment of a 40% discretionary recommendation quota without public advertisement directly violates the mandatory directions in Paragraph 35 of Renu.”
In Renu, the Supreme Court underlined that public appointments require transparency and that vacancies should ordinarily be publicly advertised. The ruling also stressed that qualifications and the selection procedure should be clearly disclosed to eligible candidates.
The present contempt plea relies on those principles and argues that appointments made under the disputed quota could also affect seniority and future promotional opportunities because Regular Mazdoor is a feeder cadre for other posts.
The petition seeks contempt proceedings against Bihar Law Department Secretary-cum-Legal Remembrancer Balram Dubey and Patna High Court Registrar General Rupesh Deo, alleging wilful disobedience of the Supreme Court’s directions in Renu.
The material provided does not contain a Supreme Court order deciding the contempt petition. Accordingly, no finding or final decision of the Supreme Court is stated here.
