Delhi High Court to Examine EPFO's Controversial Recruitment Criteria

The Delhi High Court is examining a PIL against EPFO's recruitment criteria, which grants extra marks to law graduates from top NIRF institutes. This is alleged to violate Fundamental Rights by discriminating against other government institutions. The hearing is scheduled for April 23.

On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court responded to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation's (EPFO) recruitment process for Young Professionals. The petition argues that EPFO's procedure grants special weightage of 15 to 30 marks out of 100 to candidates with law degrees from top 40 National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) institutes.

The petition claims this criterion discriminates against institutions under Central and State Government purview, which do not rank within the top 40 NIRF list, thereby violating Fundamental Rights. Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela's bench issued notice to the Central Government's concerned ministry and scheduled the case for an April 23 hearing.

The plea emphasizes that mark weightage in the evaluation process is crucial. It alleges this practice infringes on institutions not within the top 40 NIRF category, violating Fundamental Rights like Articles 14 and 16 of India's Constitution under Part III. The hearing's outcome could impact recruitment criteria across institutions. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)