Supreme Court Clears Uttarakhand Judge to Appear in HP Judicial Service Exam

The Supreme Court of India has allowed a serving judicial officer from Uttarakhand to appear for the Himachal Pradesh Judicial Service (HPJS) examination.

The Court set aside a letter issued by the Uttarakhand High Court that had denied permission to the officer without giving any reasons. The Supreme Court said such an unexplained rejection was not justified and allowed the officer’s request.

The judicial officer, Vishal Thakur, is currently working as a Civil Judge (Junior Division) in Uttarakhand. He had applied for the HPJS exam after the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission issued a notification inviting applications. Even though he received the admit card, his parent High Court refused permission.

Before the Supreme Court, Thakur argued that there is no rule under the Uttarakhand Judicial Service Rules that stops a serving officer from appearing in another state’s judicial service exam. He also claimed that the denial violated his rights under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.

Accepting these arguments, the Supreme Court quashed the rejection letter and granted him permission to appear in the HPJS preliminary examination.