Only preference in job, no mandatory employment for 1984 riot victims: Delhi High Court

PTI

New Delhi, May 22

The Delhi High Court has refused to grant relief to a woman who sought employment under a rehabilitation policy for the victim families of the 1984 riots, saying the central scheme only envisaged that preference should be given during recruitment and did not make appointment mandatory in absence of any hiring exercise.

Justice Yashwant Varma said that as and when any recruitment exercise was undertaken or initiated by the authorities, they would be bound to consider the candidature of the petitioner, whose appointment was rejected by the competent authority on the grounds that at present, there was no special recruitment drive in place.

“The court finds itself unable to read that provision of the policy as mandatorily requiring the respondents to appoint the petitioner,” the Delhi High Court said in its order dated May 20.

In the petition, the petitioner sought consideration of her appointment in terms of the circular dated January 16, 2006, which spelt out a rehabilitation package to provide relief to the victims of the 1984 riots. She contended that the authorities acted illegally in failing to offer her an appointment, which was “arbitrarily denied”.