The Himachal Pradesh High Court has ruled that extensions in service or re-employment should only occur under exceptional circumstances and must clearly serve the public interest. This decision came as the court quashed a notification for the re-employment of the Animal Husbandry Department Director, which had been issued on January 2, 2025.
The case was brought before a division bench consisting of Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Sushil Kukreja, who were responding to petitions filed by Vishal Sharma and Sanjeev Dhiman. These petitions contested the re-employment of Pradeep Kumar Sharma to the directorial position, arguing that the decision was made improperly.
In their judgment, the justices emphasized that extensions or re-employment should not be based solely on recommendations from elected representatives. “Merely because the recommendation has come from an elected representative, would not justify the extension/re-employment,” the bench stated. They further noted that such decisions should be made strictly in the public interest, considering the needs of the public and the department involved.
The court also instructed the state to convene a fresh Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) to ensure that any decision regarding the position adheres to these criteria. The state must demonstrate that there is an exceptional circumstance warranting re-employment and that it is in the public interest, with this justification clearly documented in the records.
