Interviews for Van Mitras illegal, High Court directs government to follow 2017 policy

Shimla, 05 September: The Himachal Pradesh High Court has declared the Forest Department’s decision to conduct interviews for Van Mitras illegal and directed the government to strictly follow its 2017 policy, under which interviews for the recruitment of Class III and IV employees were abolished. This decision has cleared the way for the recruitment of 2061 Van Mitras under the Forest Department.

The decision delivered by Justice Bipin Chandra Negi found that the state government had decided to introduce a 10-mark interview component in the recruitment process without consulting experts or adequately considering its implications. The court said that the decision violates the state’s policy decision of April 17, 2017, which specifically abolished interviews for the same posts, and the government’s action was considered discriminatory.

The court stressed, “The government’s decision to conduct interviews only for these recruitments is discriminatory,” and pointed to the lack of solid basis for singling out Van Mitra posts for interviews. The judgment criticized the government for not using its discretion effectively and promoting favouritism in the recruitment process.

The case was brought to the court by applicant Diksha Panwar, who challenged the forest department’s intention to conduct interviews despite a 2017 policy that prohibits such practices for Class III and IV posts. Panwar argued that the department’s move was in direct contradiction to the policy and designed to unfairly benefit discriminatory candidates.

In response, the forest department argued that the role of Van Mitra is not a regular post and does not share the same service conditions as other government employees, thus justifying the need for interviews. However, the high court rejected this argument, holding it insufficient to circumvent established policy.

With the court’s decision, the recruitment of Van Mitras will now proceed without an interview process, which is in line with the state’s commitment to maintaining transparency and fairness in recruitment processes. The decision is expected to expedite the recruitment process and ensure that it is conducted in a manner consistent with state policies.