Service-related disputes aggravated due to recurring litigation: SC

New Delhi, Jan 15 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Thursday said a substantial number of service-related disputes pending across the country are aggravated by recurring litigation and the judiciary should interpret service rules in a manner that serves the very object of a selection process.

A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih made the observation while delivering a judgment that candidates on a reserve list cannot claim a right to appointment once the list's statutory validity has expired.

"From our combined experience on the Bench, we may safely observe that a substantial number of service-related disputes pending across the country are aggravated by protracted and recurring litigation, resulting in a state of perpetual flux for many candidates across the country.

"The judiciary would do well to remain circumspect of these practical realities, and interpret service rules in a manner that furthers the very object of a selection process, that is, the selection of the most suitable candidates from suitable candidates for appointment in a timely manner," the bench said.

Setting aside a series of orders from the Rajasthan High Court, the top court held that a selection process must attain finality and that reserve lists cannot be used as an "infinite stock" for appointments.

The dispute arose from recruitment drives conducted by the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) for the posts of junior legal officer (JLO) and assistant statistical officer (ASO) between 2013 and 2019. PTI PKS SJK PKS KSS KSS