Government job recruitment rules cannot be changed midway, rules Supreme Court

New Delhi: In an important judgment pronounced on November 7, the Supreme Court ruled against the changing of recruitment rules mid-process for government jobs.

The ruling was given by a five-judge panel led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud.

As per the verdict, changing rules for government job recruitment during an ongoing process is not allowed unless specifically permitted.

The five-judge panel stated that the "rules of the game" cannot be altered once the recruitment process begins. The panel included Justices Hrishikesh Roy, PS Narasimha, Pankaj Mithal, and Manoj Misra.

The court emphasised that selection rules must be fair and align with Article 14 of the Constitution.

The judges unanimously agreed that public recruitment must be transparent and fair, stating, "rules of the game' once set before the start of recruitment process cannot be tinkered with midway."

They added that candidates should not face unexpected rule changes during the process.