KOCHI: Vishu turned extra special for Oachira resident Sahil S and 72 others whose appointment to the central forces was caught in a legal tangle. A division bench of the Kerala High Court on Thursday directed the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) to complete the posting process of Sahil and the others within eight weeks. For Sahil, the victory is sweeter as he had himself argued the case in court.
“It has been my lifelong desire to become a uniformed soldier. After years of toil, I applied for the constable general duty post in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) based on a 2018 notification,” Sahil said. The 25-year-old cleared all the stages – computer-based exam, physical efficiency test and detailed medical exam – and became eligible for appointment. However, another group that failed the medical test moved court demanding a reexamination. The court directed that the medical test be held again. This delayed Sahil’s appointment too.
“Due to the delay in conducting reexamination, the seats were kept vacant and we were denied employment for no fault of our own,” said Sahil.
An HC single judge in 2021 ordered that Sahil and 72 others be appointed as constable GD in CAPFs, NIA, and rifleman GD in Assam Rifles after clearing the SSC exams. However, the Union government filed an appeal before the division bench, delaying the process again.
Now, the division bench has given SSC eight weeks to complete the recruitment and said the remaining vacant seats can be carried forward to the ensuing recruitment process undertaken by SSC. The seniority of the appointed candidates will be from their dates of appointment, said the bench.
Sahil had waged a lone battle against the delay. A polytechnic graduate with no background in law, he argued his case before a single judge and the division bench since June 2022. “The other candidates included in the list and my friends helped me financially in my fight. An HC lawyer advised me on the legal points to raise in court,” said Sahil, who now hopes to get the appointment order soon.