Mumbai: Bombay High Court has permitted all engineering graduates to participate in the recruitment for junior engineers (JEs) posts in BMC.
The HC’s interim direction came on a petition challenging its Nov 25 advertisement that only those with diploma qualifications should apply.”To say the least, we are astonished by this logic of the Corporation. There is no explanation and there is no justification… that those graduates who earlier acquired a diploma certificate would be eligible, and the graduates, who are at par with all graduates in the engineering faculty, would not be eligible to apply because they do not have a diploma certificate. This is beyond comprehension,” said Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Ashwin Bhobe on Wed.
The petition was filed by eight engineering graduates. Senior advocate Neeta Karnik said the 2023 recruitment rules state that the minimum qualification for a junior engineer is SSC with a three-year diploma in engineering. BMC’s advocate Oorja Dhond said those who are “purely graduates” would not be eligible.
The judges said the rules specifically mention the word “minimum,” which means that the minimum qualification for a junior engineer was a diploma certificate. The BMC is allowing graduates from the engineering faculty to apply if they have a diploma in engineering. “There is no distinction between an engineering graduate preceded with 10 +2 and an engineering graduate preceded by a diploma certificate. For all purposes, both are graduates on the same pedestal and have to be treated at par,” they explained. Also, BMC’s advertisement, prima facie, contravenes the prescribed rule..
Since the deadline to apply for the posts was Dec 16, the judges directed BMC to publish a corrigendum on its website and in newspapers “making it clear that engineering graduates – mechanical/electrical and civil – would be eligible to apply.” They refused to stay the order and allow BMC to proceed with the recruitment, adding, “We find such a request to be unconscionable.” They clarified that the selection of graduates will be subject to the outcome of the petition. On Fri, HC allowed BMC to receive applications until Dec 26.
