HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Telangana High Court has ruled against a batch of writ petitions filed by police post aspirants challenging recruitment notifications issued by the Telangana State Level Police Recruitment Board.
The petitioners contested the board’s decision to not prioritise NCC ‘C’ certificate over ‘B’ certificate and ‘B’ certificate over ‘A’ certificate in the recruitment process, deeming it illegal, arbitrary, discriminatory, and against principles of natural justice.
The petitioners argued that the merit-based selection, as per Rule 3 (D) (vi) under GO 14, dated April 8, 2002, violated Articles 14, 16, 19(G), and 21, of the Constitution. They highlighted the different levels of training required for obtaining NCC certificates and the corresponding incentive or bonus marks entitled to each grade, emphasising the difference in NCC ‘C,’ ‘B,’ and ‘A’ certificates.
In response, the TSLPRB defended its recruitment process, stating that it adhered strictly to the Telangana police rules.The board argued that GO 14, which substituted certain rules, was valid and that Rule 3 (D) (VI) was amended earlier by GO 49, treating NCC ‘C’ and ‘B’ certificate holders as equal in specific recruitments.
The board maintained that candidates with NCC certificates, regardless of their grade, were considered a special category eligible for quota on a horizontal basis, while taking into account the minimum educational qualifications required for the posts.