Telangana High Court Issues Notices to AE Recruits Selected in 2022

The Telangana High Court has issued notices to a group of engineering recruits selected through the state’s 2022 recruitment process after hearing a petition that questions their eligibility for the posts. The case has drawn attention as it could affect hundreds of appointments made across various engineering departments.

During the hearing, petitioners argued that several candidates were selected despite not possessing the prescribed Diploma in Engineering qualification. They contended that a large number of candidates holding BTech and BE degrees were appointed to engineering related positions even though the notification allegedly required a diploma qualification.

The petition was filed by Kolakani Shashikumar and eight others. The matter came up before Justice K. Sharath, who was informed that a total of 787 candidates were provisionally selected under the 2022 recruitment notification. According to the petitioners, only 173 of them possessed the required Diploma in Engineering qualification, while the remaining 614 candidates were selected without meeting the stated minimum requirement.

Observing that any future court order could directly impact those already appointed, the High Court stated that it would be inappropriate to pass a final judgment without hearing the affected candidates. The court emphasized that the selected recruits should be given an opportunity to present their side before any decision is made.

Taking this view, Justice Sharath permitted 65 individuals to be added as respondents on behalf of the 614 selected candidates. Notices have now been issued to these representatives from various departments where the appointments were made.

The recruitment drive covered multiple engineering departments and included positions such as Assistant Engineer, Municipal Assistant Engineer, Technical Officer, and Junior Technical Officer. The petition challenges the appointment of candidates with BTech and BE qualifications in posts where the eligibility criteria are under dispute.

The High Court has postponed further hearing in the matter until June 25. The outcome of the case is expected to have significant implications for the candidates selected through the 2022 recruitment process as well as future recruitment policies in the state.