The Delhi High Court has overturned a Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) order that directed the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) to conduct a new medical examination for a candidate deemed medically unfit during the recruitment process for the post of Constable (Executive) in Delhi Police. A Division Bench of Justices Anil Kshetrapal and Amit Mahajan granted a writ petition filed by the SSC and other authorities challenging the CAT’s August 20, 2024, directive.
The candidate, Yashpal Singh, had participated in the SSC recruitment process and was declared unfit after a Detailed Medical Examination (DME) revealed varicose veins in his left leg. Despite seeking a Review Medical Examination (RME) that confirmed his unfitness, he later presented a medical certificate from a government hospital asserting his fitness for competitive exams. This led him to challenge the DME and RME findings before the CAT, which then ordered a fresh medical examination.
However, the Delhi High Court ruled that the CAT had overstepped its authority in matters of medical fitness for disciplined service recruitments. The court emphasized the importance of expert Medical Boards in determining medical suitability for such roles. It highlighted the consistency in opinions between the DME and RME regarding the candidate’s condition and deemed the government hospital’s general fitness certificate insufficient to certify his suitability as a Constable (Executive) in Delhi Police.
The judgment emphasized that allowing candidates to use external medical certificates to demand repeated examinations could disrupt the recruitment process’s certainty. The court stressed that unless there are procedural irregularities or conflicting medical assessments, expert medical boards’ opinions should not be replaced by courts. Consequently, the Delhi High Court invalidated the CAT’s decision, asserting that ordering a new medical examination based solely on the candidate’s certificate was unjustified interference with expert opinions. The court allowed the petition and closed the case.
