Authority: High Court of Uttarakhand at Nainital (Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Subhash Upadhyay)
Order Date: 07 July 2026
Case Overview
- Appellants: Uttarakhand Medical Service Selection Board (UMSSB) in Special Appeals Nos.122, 123, 125, 204 of 2026.
- Respondents: Various candidates (e.g., Nisha Ramola, Neha Manola, Irene Roberts, Dhilpe Sheetal Mahesh) who applied for Nursing Officer posts under advertisement dated 11 March 2024 for 1,455 vacancies.
- The candidates were rejected because they were not registered with Uttarakhand Nurses and Midwives Council (UNMC) by the application deadline of 1 April 2024, although they held registrations in other states and had applied for transfer before the deadline; the transfers were completed after the deadline.
- The writ petitions (WPSS Nos.2331, 2249, 2283, 2251 of 2024) challenged the rejections, arguing that applicants should not be penalised for delays in transfer of registration, citing Supreme Court judgments in Laxmi Saroj v. State of Uttar Pradesh (2022) and Narender Singh v. State of Haryana (2022).
Final Outcome
- The Court held that the rejection solely on the basis of lack of UNMC registration on the deadline date was unsustainable, referencing the Supreme Court precedents.
- The order dated 18 November 2024 passed by UMSSB rejecting the candidates was set aside.
- Respondents were directed to consider the candidates’ claims for appointment as per applicable selection criteria and to declare the result.
- All Special Appeals were dismissed; any pending applications were also disposed of.
Topics: Recruitment, Judicial Review