The Meghalaya High Court has rejected the writ petition filed by Barilang Pyngrope and three others challenging the recent recruitment to the State police.
Acting Chief Justice Hamarsan Singh Thangkhiew in an order passed today said that the prescription of age for the recruitment is as per Sections 23 and 29 of the Meghalaya Police Act, coupled with the added fact that the recruitment process is already underway with the last date of receipt of applications being as far back as May 31.
“Nothing survives for consideration in the instant writ petition and the same is accordingly closed and disposed of,” Justice Thangkhiew said in his order.
Pyngrope who appeared in person to present her case, has strenuously argued that the Office Memorandum dated February 3, 2022 whereby the upper age limit for entry into government service had been relaxed from 27 to 32 years with a further relaxation of five years for candidates belonging to Scheduled Tribes and Castes communities should have been uniformly applied for the recruitment to 1255 vacancies in various posts in the Police Department as given in the advertisement dated March 6, 2024.
She further argued that the Office Memorandum in carving out an exception for certain categories of posts such as the Home (Police) Department is discriminatory and has affected the right to employment of candidates aspiring for jobs, such as her.
She also told the court that in spite of repeated representations to the State government, the same was to no avail, which has prompted her and three others to approach the court by way of the instant writ petition.
However, Justice Thangkhiew referred to the earlier order of the High Court on the matter where it was pointed out that the Personnel & A.R. (A) Department by an Office Memorandum dated May 1, 2024, had set the upper age limit for Sub-Inspectors at 27 years and Constable at 21 years.
Moreover, the court in its previous order had said that the Meghalaya Police Act with regard to prescription of upper age limit for Constables at Section 23 (1) and 29 (2) supports the contention of the State government that the Office Memorandum was as per the Meghalaya Police Act.
However, the writ petitioners limited their challenge only to the recruitment advertisement on the ground that it is not as per the Office Memorandum dated February 3, 2022. They have not questioned the prescription given by the Meghalaya Police Act nor have they assailed the Office Memorandum dated May 1, 2024.
