Jharkhand HC Blocks 421 Women Supervisor Posts Amid Legal Battle

A bench of Justice Ananda Sen heard petitions challenging the recruitment process notified by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).

The petitioners questioned the legality of restricting the recruitment exclusively to women candidates, arguing that providing 100 per cent reservation to any category violates constitutional provisions.

Appearing on behalf of the JSSC, Advocate Sanjay Piparwal defended the advertisement, stating that the posts fall under a "women's cadre" created specifically for roles involving women and child welfare. Therefore, he said, the eligibility was intentionally limited to female candidates.

Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan, representing the state government, also justified the reservation, submitting that the positions are designed to ensure effective implementation of child protection and women-centric welfare schemes, where women supervisors are necessary.

The JSSC had advertised 421 posts of Female Supervisors in September 2023. The examination was conducted nearly a year later, in September 2024, and the results were declared subsequently.

However, several candidates who were excluded from the selection list approached the High Court alleging arbitrary disqualification.

They contended that the JSSC rejected their candidature on the grounds that their educational qualifications were in subsidiary subjects rather than the core subjects mentioned in the advertisement. They claimed that the rules did not explicitly state that subsidiary-subject degrees would be deemed ineligible for the post.

After hearing initial submissions, the court said that the interim stay on the appointment process will continue until the matter is further examined in detail. The case has been listed for the next hearing on November 6.

- IANS