SHILLONG: The Division Bench of the High Court of Meghalaya on Thursday rejected a review petition against the earlier order of the court to cancel recruitment of a magistrate in KHADC.
Last month, based on a petition filed by RTI activist Agnes Kharshiing, the court had quashed the selection process for the appointment of a magistrate at the district council court in KHADC due to faulty personal interview process.
The anomaly was that though the score for the written examination was 200 that for the personal interview was 500.
The court had also asked the KHADC to immediately frame recruitment rules and then to initiate the process of recruitment to three vacant posts in accordance with the rules to be framed.
According to the bench comprising Chief Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir and Chief Justice SR Sen, there could be a scope for holding a fresh interview because the whole selection process has commenced in an arbitrary manner, “the mode/method of selection, allocation of marks for written examination and viva voce were not notified”.
While taking into consideration the submission as made by the counsel for the petitioner, the court said no error on the records is discernible so as to recall the judgment.
“In the background of good conscience and fair play, selection process is unsustainable, therefore, the judgment under review does not call for its recall,” the court said.
Advocate MF Qureshi, who took up the case on behalf of Kharshiing, said the order will enable all the district councils to frame proper recruitment rules.
He also appreciated Kharshiing for following up the matter to its logical conclusion as the recruitment process will be transparent.