Postal job applicant in 1995 gets appointment order after 28 years post SC intervention

The Supreme Court has ordered the appointment of a man, Ankur Gupta, to a postal assistant position, 28 years after he initially applied for the job. The decision was made due to an error in deeming him ineligible for the role based on his educational qualifications. Gupta had applied for the position in 1995, but he was later excluded from the merit list because he had completed intermediate education from the "vocational stream."

Following this, Gupta and other unsuccessful candidates took their case to the Central Administrative Tribunal in 1999, which ruled in their favour. However, the postal department contested the tribunal's decision and approached the Allahabad High Court in 2000.

The high court upheld the CAT's order in 2017, and a review was filed, which was also dismissed in 2021. Consequently, the department brought the case to the Supreme Court.


In its ruling, the Supreme Court emphasised that once a candidate is included in the merit list, they have a limited right to fair and non-discriminatory treatment. The court stressed that the employer, especially if it is a state entity, cannot act arbitrarily and must provide reasons for any rejection.

The bench concluded that the postal department had allowed Gupta to participate in the selection process, ranked him highly in the merit list, and provided him with pre-induction training. Therefore, the rejection was not justified.

Using its constitutional authority, the Supreme Court directed the department to offer Gupta an appointment as a Postal Assistant, initially on probation, within a month. If no vacant post is available, a supernumerary post should be created for him. The court highlighted that Gupta had been unfairly discriminated against and deprived of the benefits of his selection.

"Having not actually worked, the third respondent (Gupta) shall neither be entitled to arrears of salary nor shall he be entitled to claim seniority from the date of appointment of other candidates who participated in the recruitment process of 1995," Court clarified.

In the case of Ankur Gupta, a 28-year journey has culminated in his rightful appointment to the postal assistant position, with the Supreme Court upholding the principles of fairness and non-discrimination in employment.