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IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI
SANJEEV NARULA
Gaurav Verma – Appellant
Versus
Airport Authority of India – Respondent
JUDGMENT :
SANJEEV NARULA, J.
1. The Petitioners assail their non-inclusion in the list of candidates called for document verification for recruitment to Non-Executive Cadres of the Airport Authority of India,, “AAI” Northern Region, with document verification scheduled on 9th July, 2025 and 10th July, 2025.
2. The case, though set-up as a grievance of “merit being ignored”, turns on a narrower legal axis. The Petitioners are ex-servicemen. The subject recruitment provides horizontal reservation for the category of “ex- servicemen”. The Petitioners assert that they secured marks higher than the last shortlisted candidate in the unreserved segment and, therefore, deserve to “migrate” to the unreserved category, “UR category” for the purpose of being called for document verification.
3. The Respondents resist the petition on the foundation that the Petitioners were over the prescribed unreserved upper-age limit and could participate in the recruitment process only by availing age relaxation as ex-servicemen. In such circumstances, they cannot claim to be considered against unreserved vacancies. The Respondents also rely on DoPT communications/ material placed on record, which treats rese
Ex-servicemen who avail age relaxation cannot demand consideration in unreserved vacancies regardless of merit, as it contravenes governing recruitment rules.
The court ruled that reservations for Ex-Servicemen must be applied horizontally rather than vertically to comply with constitutional mandates, ensuring fair selection and not exceeding the 50% cap o....
Reservation policies must not exceed 50% of total vacancies and should be applied in alignment with horizontal and vertical reservation principles without creating inequalities.
Reservation for Ex-Servicemen is a special reservation under Article 16(1) and is a horizontal reservation, constituting a reservation within reservation. The intent of horizontal reservation is to i....
The court upheld the constitutional validity of category-wise horizontal reservation for ex-servicemen, affirming it does not violate merit principles or representation objectives.
Candidates from reserved categories can claim horizontal reservations in open categories based on merit unless explicitly prohibited by law or policy.
The principle of merit must prevail in filling unreserved vacancies for Persons with Disabilities, allowing the appointment of meritorious candidates from any reserved category when more qualified th....
Point of law: It is trite that the very purpose and object for justifying reservation is based on the concept of positive discrimination or affirmative action, which is meant for sections who are suf....
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