Ranchi, July 18 : The Jharkhand High Court has delivered a significant judgment in a recruitment case involving the appointment of a Chowkidar (watchman) in Godda district, ruling that a candidate cannot be denied employment solely because he or she is not a permanent resident of the concerned beat area.
The court observed that disqualifying an otherwise eligible candidate only on the basis of beat-area residency is legally unsustainable. It directed the authorities to reconsider the appointment process in accordance with the law and merit.
The ruling came while hearing a petition challenging the rejection of a candidate’s appointment on the grounds that the individual was not a permanent resident of the designated beat area.
The High Court clarified that while local residence may be considered during recruitment, it cannot become the sole criterion for denying a qualified candidate an appointment if such a condition is not supported by law.
Legal experts believe the judgment is likely to have a wider impact on future recruitment processes in Jharkhand, particularly for posts where local residency has been treated as a mandatory eligibility condition.
The verdict is expected to serve as an important precedent, ensuring that recruitment decisions remain fair, transparent and based on legally valid eligibility criteria rather than arbitrary conditions
