Supreme Court judgment reinforces women’s reservation in Punjab Civil Services.
SUPREME COURT ON RESERVATION FOR WOMEN UNDER SC SPORTS
| ASPECTS | DETAILS |
| Case Title | Prabhjot Kaur vs. State of Punjab and Others |
| Introduction | The case revolves around horizontal reservation for women in the Punjab Civil Services, challenging the alteration of reservation categories mid-recruitment. |
| Factual Background | The Punjab government issued recruitment advertisements (No.08 and No.14) for various civil services posts, including DSP. A horizontal 33% women reservation under 2020 Rules led to the reservation of a DSP post for “SC Sports (Women)”. |
| Legal Issues |
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| Applicable Law |
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| Analysis | The Supreme Court noted that eligibility criteria, once declared through an advertisement, cannot be altered retrospectively. It held that the 2020 Rules were validly implemented, and the reservation for “SC Sports (Women)” was lawful and binding. |
| Conclusion | The appeal was allowed; the Division Bench order was set aside. The Single Judge’s ruling, upholding the original advertisement and the appellant’s appointment, was restored. |
| Current Scenario | The appellant is confirmed for appointment as DSP under “SC Sports (Women)” category. The state must comply with the ruling within three weeks. |
CASE SUMMARY – In this case, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the appellant, Prabhjot Kaur, confirming her appointment under the “SC Sports (Women)” category for DSP post in Punjab Civil Services. The court held that the applicable advertisement and 2020 Rules, which mandated 33% horizontal reservation for women, were valid and unchallenged. It concluded that post-process changes such as introducing new rosters cannot invalidate earlier selections. Citing precedents like K. Manjusree, it ruled that the state cannot modify eligibility criteria after recruitment begins. The appeal against the High Court’s Division Bench order was allowed, and the learned Single Judge’s judgment was reinstated.
“Rules of the game cannot be changed once the recruitment process has commenced.”
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