Delhi High Court Seeks AG Venkatramani’s Assistance In Plea Against Junior Judicial Assistants Appointment; Serious Constitutional Issues

The Delhi High Court in the case Meenakshi Chaudhary And Ors v. Delhi High Court The Registrar General And Ors observed and seek assistance of Attorney General for India R Venkatramani in the petition moved challenging the appointment of 50 Junior Judicial Assistants presently employed in the court. The Division bench comprising of Justice Manmohan and Justice Mini Pushkarna in the case observed wherein the petition is moved by serving the employees of High Court, it raised serious constitutional and administrative issue and requested for Venkatramani’s assistance as an amicus curiae in the matter. The counsel appearing for the petitioner-employees submitted before the court that the Junior Judicial Assistants were appointed as the Data Entry Operators in the year 2012 on the contractual basis for one year only on a monthly consolidated salary on the condition that they will not have a right to claim regularization as the Data Entry Operators. It has also been contended before the court that they were then appointed or regularized in the post of the Junior Judicial Assistants, the Data Entry, Ex-Cadre, which being in violation of the Recruitment Rules for the said post. Therefore, it being the case of the petitioner that the regularisation of Respondents as Junior Judicial Assistants, the Data Entry, the Ex-Cadre by the Registrar General of the High Court is not in accordance with law. On the other hand, it has been submitted by the counsel appearing for the High Court administration that the writ petition is not maintainable as the same was in the nature of the Public Interest Litigation, PIL and thus, the same was liable to be dismissed.