The Supreme Court recently ruled that the 2010 Grade-IV recruitment process conducted by the Jharkhand government was illegal and unconstitutional. The bench comprising Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Sandeep Mehta quashed the entire recruitment process, stating that it violated Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution.

The court highlighted several serious irregularities in the recruitment process, including:

The total number of vacancies was not mentioned in the advertisement.

There was no clear mention of reservation criteria.

The rules of selection were changed midway, such as introducing an interview round that was not originally included in the advertisement.

Lack of transparency in the entire recruitment process.

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“When an appointment is null and void in the eyes of law, candidates holding such posts are not entitled to any protection, and principles of natural justice do not apply, as it would be a mere formality serving no purpose.”

This ruling was based on Union of India v. Raghuwar Pal Singh (2018) 15 SCC 463.

The Supreme Court clarified that there was no requirement to hear the affected candidates because their appointments were void from the beginning.

“If the recruitment process itself is illegal, any appointments made under it automatically become void.”

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The court directed the Jharkhand government to issue a fresh recruitment advertisement within six months and ensure that the process is conducted strictly in accordance with the Constitution.

"The state government has a constitutional duty to ensure a transparent and fair recruitment process so that no candidate is deprived of their rightful opportunity."

Jharkhand’s 2010 Grade-IV recruitment process was declared unconstitutional and nullified.

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The Supreme Court quashed all appointments made under this process and ordered a fresh recruitment.

Affected candidates were denied relief as their appointments were illegal from the outset.

The ruling reinforces the importance of fairness, transparency, and constitutional compliance in public employment.

Case Title: AMRIT YADAV VERSUS THE STATE OF JHARKHAND AND ORS.