Gauhati High Court Annuls Recruitment for 61 Posts in Nagaland Health Department Due to Procedural Issues

The Gauhati High Court has quashed the recruitment process for 61 posts in Nagaland's health department due to procedural lapses. Fresh recruitment will occur after amending the Nagaland Nursing Services Rules, 1988.

The Kohima Bench of the Gauhati High Court has nullified the recruitment process for 61 positions in Nagaland's Department of Health & Family Welfare. This decision was due to procedural errors and outdated regulations. Consequently, the Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB) has officially cancelled the written exam conducted on February 24, 2024. A new recruitment process will commence once the Nagaland Nursing Services Rules, 1988 are updated and a fresh requisition is made.

The court's decision came after a writ petition by 17 individuals who contested a corrigendum and notification from the previous year. These documents had added 68 more candidates for viva-voce without proper justification. The court noted that Female Health Worker (FHW) candidates were initially allowed to participate in the recruitment process but were later excluded without valid reasons through a corrigendum issued on May 23, 2024.

Recruitment Process Quashed

The court found that the corrigendum and reliance on a "queue system" lacked legal grounding under the Nagaland Nursing Services Rules, 1988. As a result, it declared the entire recruitment process invalid. The provisional results announced on May 22 and the subsequent corrigendum were both set aside by the court. The government was instructed to amend the outdated rules within 45 days to establish clear eligibility criteria for Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) and FHW roles.

Following this amendment, the Department of Health and Family Welfare must submit a new requisition to NSSB within 15 days. The NSSB is then required to issue a new advertisement and complete the recruitment process within six months. Candidates who participated in the cancelled examination will be allowed to reapply with age relaxation for the intervening period.

Compliance with Court Directives

The NSSB has cancelled the entire recruitment process for ANM/FHW positions as per the court's order. It clarified that fresh recruitment will only proceed after amending the rules and notifying revised eligibility criteria. All directives from the high court must be fully adhered to before proceeding with new recruitments.

The cancellation of the recruitment process will be publicly announced through newspapers and on the NSSB website. This ensures transparency and informs all stakeholders about the changes in the recruitment procedure.

By addressing these procedural lapses and updating outdated rules, Nagaland aims to ensure a fair and transparent recruitment process for its health department positions. This move is expected to enhance trust in public sector hiring practices within the state.

With inputs from PTI