Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The High Court of Bombay at Goa dismissed a petition that challenged the State government’s move to cancel the ongoing recruitment process for 28 Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) posts.
The Court accepted the government’s reasoning that the recruitment was withdrawn to facilitate an increase in the maximum age limit for applicants from 30 years to 40 years. The State informed that the revised age limit has already been approved and will soon be formally notified, following which the Goa Public Service Commission (GPSC) will issue a new advertisement for the posts.
During earlier hearings, the GPSC had clarified that the process was scrapped in order to amend recruitment rules and accommodate the enhanced age criteria.
The DySP recruitment drive, which began in August 2023 after a gap of 25 years, had advanced to its third stage before being terminated. Out of over 2,500 applications, 62 candidates had qualified after preliminary and screening examinations held in October and November 2023.
The 28 posts advertised included 14 unreserved, eight for OBC, four for ST, and two for EWS candidates. Under the Goa Police Rules, 2022, the age ceiling for DySP aspirants was capped at 30 years, unlike Goa Civil Service Junior Scale Officers, who had a higher limit. Applicants also had to clear a physical fitness test involving running, high jump, long jump, and shot put.
With the Court’s ruling, the government is now expected to re-launch the recruitment process with relaxed age eligibility.
