Vijayawada: The high court on Wednesday directed the police recruitment board to consider home guards as a special category, irrespective of social reservation, in the ongoing police constable recruitment process. Justice Satti Subba Reddy delivered the verdict, mandating that a separate merit list be prepared for home guards based on their marks in the preliminary examination. The process must be completed within six weeks, the order said, while emphasizing that its interim orders will not obstruct the preparation of the merit list.
The ruling comes after several home guards approached the high court, arguing that they were excluded from the physical and final written tests for not meeting the qualifying marks under social reservation norms. The petitioners, who served as home guards for years, contended that they cannot be treated on par with regular candidates and demanded recognition as a special category in the constable selection process. Advocates Seenakumar, Sivaram, and Anjaneyu represented the petitioners.
Though 1,167 constable posts were reserved for home guards in the recruitment notification, only 382 candidates qualified in the preliminary exam. The petitioners argued that filling the remaining posts with general category candidates would unfairly disadvantage the home guards. The high court acknowledged the concerns and directed the board to address the issue fairly, ensuring that home guards receive equitable consideration in the recruitment process.
