Jaipur: Rajasthan High Court has asked the state govt to respond to a petition alleging that appointments and postings under a Class IV recruitment drive were made in violation of rules, including ignoring merit-based allocations and assigning selected candidates to duties linked to different posts.Justice Ganesh Ram Meena Tuesday issued notice to the social justice and empowerment department on a petition filed by Narendra Saini and others. The court also sought an explanation on interim relief, asking why a stay should not be granted on the disputed arrangement.Counsel for the petitioners, Ram Pratap Saini, argued that candidates recruited through the Class-IV process were being made to work as rasoyias (cooks) and chowkidars (guards), even though “the two posts carry different pay scales and service conditions.”Saini added that they were supposed to perform regular Class-IV duties in the departments and offices, varying from taking files from one office to another, cleaning the office, opening and closing it and other office work rather than being assigned the specialised work of a rasoiya (cook) or of a Chowkidar guard.The petitioners alleged that the posting process did not follow merit. “Despite being selected through the same recruitment, they were not allotted districts or departments according to their merit and preferences,” Saini told the court.He said candidates appointed through the same recruitment in other departments were doing regular Class-IV work, while the petitioners were allegedly being assigned kitchen-related duties. “Also, there is a difference in the pay scale of the petitioners working as Rasoiya and those kept in the office work,” he added.The petition also challenges the district and department allocation process, alleging authorities did not follow the merit-cum-preference criteria.The case will be heard next after the govt files its response.
