The Supreme Court of India has mandated that state police verify the character, antecedents, nationality, and document authenticity of candidates before government job appointments can be regularized. This ruling, stemming from the case of Basudev Dutta, emphasizes robust verification to ensure integrity in public service appointments and prevent future complications.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India has issued a crucial directive on government job appointments, ordering state police officials to verify documents related to the character, antecedents, nationality, and authenticity of candidates selected for government jobs. In a landmark ruling on December 5, a bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and R. Mahadevan stated that appointments will only be regularized after these verifications are completed.
“The given factual matrix would also compel this court to issue a direction to the police official(s) of all the states to complete the enquiry and file report as regards the character, antecedents, nationality, genuineness of the documents produced by the candidates selected for appointment to the government service, etc., within a stipulated time provided in the statute/GO, or in any event, not later than six months from the date of their appointment,”
the Supreme Court ruled.
This decision came while hearing the case of Basudev Dutta, who challenged an order passed by the Calcutta High Court. Dutta, an ophthalmic assistant, had been terminated from his position two months before his retirement. Although he joined the public service on March 6, 1985, the police verification report regarding his citizenship was only communicated to the department on July 7, 2010, two months before his retirement. The police report stated that he was not a citizen of India, leading to his termination.
In response, the Supreme Court emphasized the need for a robust verification process. “It is made clear that only upon verification of the credentials of the candidates, their appointments will have to be regularised so as to avoid further complications, as in the case on hand,” the bench stated.
The Court’s ruling comes in light of the petitioner’s plea, challenging the termination order passed by the authority concerned. The West Bengal State Administrative Tribunal had granted relief, allowing the authority to proceed with the matter according to the law. However, the Calcutta High Court upheld the termination decision.
This directive by the Supreme Court underscores the importance of ensuring that candidates selected for government posts undergo thorough background checks to maintain the integrity of public service appointments and avoid complications down the line.
FOLLOW US FOR MORE LEGAL UPDATES ON YOUTUBE