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Service & Administrative LawSupreme Court of India

Ranajit Kumar Meher v. State of Orissa & Ors.

Civil Appeal · Neutral citation not assigned (Civil Appeal No. 2689 of 2017)Decided 13 Feb 2017
Civil Appeal No. 2689 of 2017
Justice Kurian Joseph · Justice A.M. Khanwilkar

Background

The appellant sought appointment to a veterinary technical post in Odisha, arguing that he met the qualification criteria specified in the recruitment advertisement issued in 2004. However, the Joint Director of the Directorate of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences filed an affidavit stating that the appellant did not meet the qualification actually prescribed under the Orissa Non-Gazetted Veterinary Technical Services (Recruitment & Conditions of Service) Rules, 1983, as amended in 1997.

Decision Breakdown

The Supreme Court held that eligibility for appointment must be judged against the statutory recruitment Rules, not merely against the wording of the advertisement calling for applications: an advertisement cannot override or substitute for the governing Rules. Since the appellant admittedly did not possess the qualification prescribed by the Rules themselves, the Court held there could be no valid appointment in violation of those Rules, and dismissed the appeal.

Lesson Learnt

A job advertisement for a government post cannot grant eligibility that the underlying recruitment rules do not provide: candidates must satisfy the actual statutory qualification requirements, regardless of how the vacancy notice is worded.

Ranajit Kumar Meher v. State of Orissa & Ors. – Legal Case Shots | LegalAware