The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea alleging discriminatory height standards in ONGC’s Junior Fire Supervisor recruitment, where tribal candidates are given relaxed criteria.
BY PC Bureau
The Supreme Court has issued notice in a petition challenging the height criteria used by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for the post of Junior Fire Supervisor, alleging discrimination against non-tribal candidates. A bench comprising Justices Manoj Misra and Ujjal Bhuyan agreed to examine the issue while hearing a special leave petition filed by P. Ashok Kumar, whose candidature was rejected despite meeting the general height requirement.
The petition stems from a recruitment advertisement by ONGC for its Karaikal unit in the Southern Sector, which prescribed a minimum height of 168 cm for general and Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates, and a relaxed standard of 163 cm for tribal or hill area domicile candidates. Ashok Kumar, who successfully cleared the written exam, was disqualified during the physical verification stage as he did not meet the 168 cm benchmark.
READ: Rajya Sabha Okays Extension of President’s Rule in Manipur
Challenging the rejection, Kumar approached the Madras High Court. A single judge dismissed his writ petition, noting that the recruitment criteria were clearly stated and legally binding. Kumar then moved a Division Bench, arguing that the differential standard was unfair and citing a central government circular from the National Fire Service College, Nagpur, which mandates a minimum height of 165 cm for male candidates across the board.
The Division Bench, however, upheld the single judge’s decision, reasoning that Kumar had not specifically challenged the recruitment notification itself, which clearly laid out the height eligibility criteria. The court found no merit in his appeal.
Kumar has now taken the matter to the Supreme Court, which has issued a notice to ONGC and other respondents, returnable in four weeks.
