Allahabad HC sets aside order cancelling U.P. police radio operators’ recruitment process

The judgment was passed by a division bench of Justice AR Masoodi and Justice Subhash Vidyarthi on February 14 on the special appeal filed by aspirant Prashant Kumar Mishra and three others

Allowing a special appeal challenging the single judge bench order dated January 8, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has set aside the cancellation of the recruitment process for U.P. Police radio operators.

The single judge bench had said the Police Recruitment and Promotion Board does not have the authority to alter the established standards for recruitment examinations. (For Representation)

The judgment was passed by a division bench of Justice AR Masoodi and Justice Subhash Vidyarthi on February 14 on the special appeal filed by aspirant Prashant Kumar Mishra and three others who had challenged the January 8 single judge bench order. The division bench’s order was uploaded on Tuesday.

The police department had advertised 936 radio operators’ posts in 2022 and around 40,000 candidates had applied for this recruitment examination.

The single judge bench had said the Police Recruitment and Promotion Board does not have the authority to alter the established standards for recruitment examinations.

The division bench said in its judgment that “In view of the foregoing discussions, the intra Court appeal is hereby allowed. The impugned judgment and order dated 08.01.2025 is upheld to the extent that it holds that the persons possessing Bachelor Degree in engineering are not eligible for being appointed to the posts in question.”

“However, that part of the judgment of the Writ Court by which the entire selection process has been set aside and the authorities have been directed to finalise the eligibility conditions and amend the service rules, in case they so desire, is not sustainable in law in view of the discussion made above and the same is hereby set aside,” the division bench added.

In 2022, the advertisement specified diploma holders as the eligibility criterion. The then-chairperson of the recruitment board, Renuka Mishra, passed a proposal to also allow degree holders to apply. Subsequently, more than 70% degree holders applied.

However, the current chairperson of the recruitment board, Rajiv Krishna, revoked the proposal allowing degree holders who then challenged this decision in the high court.

Police radio operator’s primary responsibility is communication by maintaining connectivity within the entire police system. This includes relaying messages and information to their department and submitting reports on tasks assigned by assistant operators.