HC upholds amendments by govt in rules prior to appointments

Time of India

21-05-2025

Ranchi: The
Jharkhand high court
has held that appointed candidates cannot claim for changes made by the authority prior to appointments.
The
Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission
(JSSC) had issued an advertisement for appointment of compounders and pharmacist in the scale of Rs 5,200 to 20,200 and at a grade pay of Rs 2,800.
The eligibility criteria for appointment of compounders and pharmacists was kept similar. However, the state govt made an amendment in the rules prior to the appointment and reduced the grade pay for compounders from Rs 2,800 to Rs 1,900.
Santosh Kumar and several other candidates, who had been appointed as compounders, challenged the amendment before the high court.
Kumar, in his petition, said that the grade pay for compounders should not have been reduced by the govt as the eligibility criteria for compounders and pharmacists were the same.
The govt, on the other hand, argued before the court that the amendment was made prior to the appointments. The candidates were aware of the amendment and have accepted their appointment. Challenging the amendment after the appointment by the candidates cannot be allowed at this stage, the govt contented before the high court.
A division bench of Justices Sujit Narayan Prasad and Pradeep Kumar Srivastava passed their order upholding the decision of the govt.