HC hears plea on denial of appointment as PWD JE

PANAJI

The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Monday took up for hearing a petition challenging the denial of appointment to a Public Works Department (PWD) junior engineer over the validity of his OBC caste certificate.

The petition, which was taken up for ‘admission of board’ has been filed by Shirishkumar Tarukar, who told the Division Bench of Justice Suman Shyam and Justice Amit Jamsandekar that he had cleared the recruitment process and stood at serial number five in the OBC category. He submitted that while selected candidates ranked above and even below him received offer letters, he was denied appointment.

He further contended that when he approached the department, he was informed that his caste certificate was “probably” not taken into consideration because of its validity. Since no clear reason was communicated, the petitioner said he later sought details under the Right to Information Act.

Tarukar argued that a caste certificate is not issued for a limited period.

Advocate General Devidas Pangam, appearing for the State, submitted that as per Supreme Court guidelines, an OBC caste certificate carries a validity of one year, while a Goa government circular prescribed a validity of three years, citing the possibility of changes in income. He told the Court that the petitioner had produced a caste certificate dated February 12, 2015, which the PWD considered invalid.

The AG also pointed out that the advertisement for the PWD JE post was issued on July 18, 2025, with August 8, 2025, as the last date for submitting applications. He argued that the candidate was required to possess a valid caste certificate at least on the last date of application.

Quoting from departmental records, the AG submitted that when the petitioner was later called upon to produce the original certificate, he instead produced a certificate issued on December 17, 2025, which was after the cut-off date and even subsequent to the selection process. He said the certificate, though issued by the Deputy Collector, was not acceptable as it was obtained after the relevant date.

The verification at least six months prior to applying for the post was also mentioned. 

During the hearing, the Bench also asked the petitioner whether he had applied for renewal or issuance of a caste certificate earlier.

The matter has been adjourned for February 10, wherein the AG is directed to obtain preliminary instructions from the government.