Karnataka High Court orders appointments for selected transport inspectors

The state High Court ruled that selected candidates cannot be denied posts for lacking repair experience with petrol-engine heavy vehicles that, the court said, have not existed in India for decades.

The High Court of Karnataka directed transport authorities to issue appointment orders within two months to candidates on the revised final selection list for Motor Vehicle Inspector posts. The dispute concerns a recruitment process launched under a 2016 notification and a list published in October 2023.

A bench of Justices R. Devdas and K. Manmadha Rao said a requirement to show experience repairing heavy goods and passenger vehicles with petrol engines could not be applied when such vehicles had not been in use in India for decades. The court criticised the Transport Commissioner and the Karnataka Public Service Commission for accepting certificates from state transport corporations claiming such experience while rejecting documents from private workshops.

The case followed the non-issuance of appointment orders to some candidates on the revised list. The state administrative tribunal had earlier upheld the authorities’ approach to the certificates and experience requirement. The High Court dismissed the Transport Department’s challenge to the tribunal’s finding and allowed several petitions from candidates.

The court directed the authorities to appoint applicants whose names appear on the revised list and who meet the remaining criteria. They are entitled to applicable benefits, including seniority on par with candidates already appointed. Where further verification of workshops or documents is needed, officials must review the records again and decide the cases.