Madras HC permits three serving, three ex-CAPF to appear for TNUSRB exam

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Friday permitted three serving and three former Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel to appear for the Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board (TNUSRB) examination scheduled on Sunday for the post of Grade-II police constables, Grade-II jail warders and firemen.

Justice GR Swaminathan passed the interim order on a batch of petitions filed by the six personnel challenging the recruitment notification, issued by the TNUSRB on June 30, on the ground that the age relaxation and reservation benefits, which were earlier extended to former CAPF under the ex-servicemen category, were withdrawn without prior information.

One of the petitioners, P Iyappan (43), ex-CAPF personnel from Tenkasi, stated that the Ministry of Home Affairs had issued a communication in November 2012 that State governments should extend benefits to ex-CAPF personnel on par with the ex-servicemen of the Armed Forces. The Tamil Nadu government had also issued a G.O. in 2006 to provide the concessions granted to ex-servicemen to former personnel of central paramilitary forces, he added. While the TNUSRB had been recruiting ex-CAPF personnel under the 5% reservation quota of ex-servicemen all these years, it has suddenly cancelled the reservation, he alleged.

Though the Additional Advocate General contended that the Home Ministry has recalled its communication and only those who served in Armed Forces are eligible for the 5% reservation, he was unable to confirm whether the TN government's 2006 G.O. is still in effect. Since the written examination is scheduled on November 27, the judge granted the above interim relief and adjourned the petitions to November 30.

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