In a significant relief to ex-servicemen, the Uttarakhand High Court has struck down a 2020 government order that limited reservation benefits to just one government job. The court has ruled that ex-servicemen will now be entitled to reservation benefits every time they apply for a government post.
A division bench comprising Justice Manoj Tiwari and Justice Subhash Upadhyay delivered the verdict while hearing a petition filed by ex-serviceman Dinesh Kandpal. The petitioner challenged the 22 May 2020 government order, arguing that it contradicted provisions under a 1993 Act that grants horizontal reservation to ex-servicemen, dependents of freedom fighters, and persons with disabilities.
Kandpal argued that the 1993 Act guarantees reservation without any mention of a one-time limit. He contended that denying ex-servicemen repeated access to reservation benefits was unconstitutional and deprived many eligible candidates of future opportunities.
According to the now-cancelled order, if an ex-serviceman had availed reservation once for a state government job, they would no longer be eligible to claim the same benefit again. This caused significant difficulties for ex-servicemen, blocking access to better job opportunities.
With this ruling, the High Court has cleared the way for ex-servicemen in Uttarakhand to claim reservation benefits in every government job they apply for, reaffirming their rights under the existing law.
