Appointment Of SSB Exam Candidates With Religious Tattoos | Allahabad HC Directs Centre To Comply With Its Order In 2 Months

The Allahabad High Court has directed the Central Government to comply with its March 7, 2022 order wherein it had directed the UOI and SSB to consider the candidature of 3 SSB Exam Candidates who were denied employment on account of certain tattoos on a certain part of their hands (forearm), in case they remove such tattoo.

On March 7, 2022, the Bench of Justice Siddhartha Varma had directed the Centre and the SSB that if the petitioners' tattoos are removed then that particular disability may not be considered as an obstacle for selection on the ministerial posts for which the petitioners had applied.

Now, when the said order was not complied with within the stipulated 2 months, two of the petitioners moved the instant contempt plea under Section 12 of the Contempt of Courts Act for punishing the Opposite Party for willful disobedience of the Court's order and judgment.

It was contended that the applicant had filed the writ plea, which was allowed and the copy of the said order was served to the opposite party, but the said direction had not been complied with by the opposite party to date.

Having heard the arguments raised by the petitioners in the instant contempt plea, the Court was prima facie of the view that a case had been made out for punishing the opposite party for willful disobedience of the judgment and order passed in the aforesaid writ petition.

However, the Court did not issue notice any notice to the opposite party and rather, granted them two months' further time to comply with the order. The Court further directed the applicant to supply a duly stamped registered envelope addressed to the opposite party and another self-addressed envelope to the office within two weeks from today.

"The opposite party shall comply with the directions of the writ court and intimate the applicant the order through the self-addressed envelope within a week thereafter. In case, the opposite party does not comply with the order, it would be open to the applicant to approach this court again," the Court further directed.

With the aforesaid observations, the application was finally disposed of.

Case title - Avneesh Kumar And Another v. Dr Sujoy Lal Thaosen,Director And 2 Others [CONTEMPT APPLICATION (CIVIL) No. - 4616 of 2022]

Case Citation: 2022 LiveLaw (AB) 391

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