The Uttarakhand High Court has made a significant ruling that prohibits nursing officers, who were previously appointed under a one-time settlement scheme, from participating in the current recruitment processes. The decision came after a bench headed by Chief Justice Ritu Bahri and Justice Rakesh Thapliyal heard several petitions related to the recruitment of nursing officers in the state’s medical colleges.
The petitions, filed by individuals including Naval Kishore and Anita Bhandari, addressed concerns that the Uttarakhand government’s one-time settlement scheme in 2022, intended to fill nursing officer positions based on seniority, was being circumvented. Subsequently, in 2023, the Department of Health and Family Welfare announced the appointment of 1,564 nursing officers also based on seniority.
However, controversy arose when the Department of Medical Education advertised 1,455 new positions on March 11, 2024. It was found that some officers who were already appointed through the 2023 scheme had applied for these new positions, leading to potential redundancy and unfair advantage.
After hearing the arguments, the court decided to bar those candidates who had already benefited from the previous settlement from re-entering the recruitment process. This decision aims to ensure fairness and open up opportunities for hundreds of unemployed nursing degree holders, ensuring that the recruitment process remains just and beneficial for new applicants.
