PANJIM: The Goa Public Service Commission (GPSC) on Wednesday told the High Court of Bombay at Goa that it will cancel the process of direct recruitment of 28 Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySPs) in the Goa Police.
In view of this, the High Court disposed off two writ petitions by nine Police Inspectors (PIs) in this regard. In November this year, the State government informed the GPSC its decision to cancel the regular recruitment process so as to amend the recruitment rules and also to enhance the upper age limit for the DySP posts.
Earlier, the GPSC had refused to accept the government’s request to cancel its recruitment process mid-way. But following the government’s reasoning, the Commission accepted it and accordingly informed the Court. The nine petitioners and IRB first batch PIs had challenged the government’s decision to recruit 28 DySP and had prayed to quash the Goa Police Service Rules 2022 and to fill the vacant posts by promotion.
Advocate General Devidas Pangam said, “The government produced an order whereby it has decided to withdraw the decision of filling DySP posts through direct recruitment. It was taken on record by the high court and has disposed of the petition saying that the selections are not going to happen now. Presently there is no need for any action. The petition has been disposed of on the basis of order of the government recalling the requisition of the posts.”
AG Pangam said that the government has started a process to change the recruitment rules and these vacancies will have to be filled up through the changed rules. There is also an issue of age limit and the government is reviewing the entire thing based on the fact that it will take a call on changing the recruitment rules and thereafter fill these vacancies.
On August 8 this year, the Personnel Department had issued a notification for direct recruitment of posts of 28 DySPs and on August 25, the GPSC advertised these posts. Accordingly 2,468 candidates applied for the posts and as many as 2,350 candidates were found to be eligible for the examination.
The GPSC had earlier set a deadline of mid-January 2024 to complete the process of selecting the new DySPs. Following the computer based recruitment test (CBRT), 61 candidates cleared it and in the second CBRT another 62 cleared the same. Again 11 including a woman candidate cleared the physical ability test. The GPSC had set a deadline of mid-January 2024 to complete the entire process of selecting the new 28 DySPs.