The Supreme Court of India made a decision on a case involving the Airport Authority of India and Sham Krishna B. The court decided that the Airport Authority's hiring process for Junior Assistant positions was correct, overturning previous decisions by the Kerala High Court. The decision clarified how candidates from reserved categories should be treated when they score higher than general category candidates.
In 2013, the Airport Authority of India announced 245 openings for Junior Assistant (Fire Service). The positions were divided into different categories: 122 for anyone, 78 for OBC, 22 for SC, and 23 for ST candidates. Applicants needed to have completed Class X with a diploma or Class XII with a vehicle license.
Out of 12,891 applications, 7,278 candidates were eligible for the written test, which had different passing marks for general and reserved categories. In the end, 158 candidates were chosen, but some positions remained unfilled, leading to further questions.
Sham Krishna B., who was not chosen despite qualifying, filed a legal complaint. He argued that the selection process was flawed and not all positions were filled according to the advertised categories.
The Kerala High Court initially agreed with Sham Krishna, ordering the Airport Authority to redo the selection list. However, the Supreme Court, led by Justice M.M. Sundresh, overturned this, stating that the selection was done correctly based on merit.
The Supreme Court stressed that candidates from reserved categories who score higher than general category candidates should be considered on merit for open positions. This decision aligns with previous rulings on reservation policies.
The Supreme Court accepted the appeal by the Airport Authority and dismissed the appeal filed by another candidate, confirming that the hiring process was fair and followed the rules.
