Team Herald

PANJIM: The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday quashed the order of High Court of Bombay at Goa passed in 2004 scrapping the recruitment process of 31 Police Sub-Inspectors recruited in 2002. The HC order had come after allegations of political interference in the selection of candidates. 

After hearing final arguments on Wednesday, SC quashed the HC order stating career profiling introduced by the government in the recruitment process is in good taste and the petitioner had also gone under same process.

The recruitment process had been challenged by Tanveer Khatib, who was disqualified from the post of PSI in 2002. He had challenged the career profiling in the recruitment process. 

The future of the entire batch of PSIs was under a question mark after the HC set aside the recruitment process, conducted during the term of the BJP government, after allegations of political interference in the process. The State subsequently appealed in the Supreme Court, which stayed the High Court order. 

In 2005, the State government had referred the matter to the Law Department to study the implications of the High Court order and the government’s chances of winning the appeal in the Supreme Court. Following a negative report from the Law Department, the government in 2006 withdrew the appeal. The PSIs later fought the case.

Of 31 PSIs, one has left the service, while 27 were promoted to Inspectors and three are still PSIs who were suspended on corruption charges some years ago, but later reinstated. 

Khatib has said that he will be filing review petition in the Supreme Court.