The Punjab and Haryana High Court has sought a response from the Punjab government on a petition challenging the introduction of caste-based reservation for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates in the appointment of law officers at the office of the Advocate General (AG), Punjab.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry issued notice to the state government and directed it to file its reply by August 11. The petition was filed by Vikas Bishnoi, a resident of Panchkula, who contends that the move violates constitutional provisions and existing legal frameworks.
The challenge pertains to an April 2025 advertisement issued by the Punjab government inviting applications for the engagement of law officers at the AG’s office, in which for the first time, 57 out of 184 posts were reserved for SC category candidates.
Bishnoi’s plea argues that the advertisement and the subsequent appointments are ultra vires — beyond the legal authority of the state — and in violation of the Punjab Law Officers (Engagement) Act, 2017. The petitioner has also sought the quashing of the advertisement and has urged the court to direct the state to issue a fresh recruitment notification without caste-based bifurcation.
The petition asserts that the position of a law officer is not a civil post nor a form of state employment. It claims that Article 16(4) of the Constitution, which permits reservation for backward classes in public employment, does not apply to the engagement of legal professionals, which is a contractual and professional engagement rather than a formal employer-employee relationship with the state.
“Extending reservation to such contractual or temporary posts undermines meritocracy, administrative efficiency, and opens a Pandora’s box,” the plea states, warning of the broader implications for similar posts across other states.
In a significant move, the 184 law officers appointed under the disputed notification have also been made parties to the case.
