The Chhattisgarh High Court, in a judgment delivered on 8 July 2026, addressed the legality of a recruitment process in which the State Government had published the date of document verification exclusively on an online portal.
The matter arose after a group of candidates challenged the selection procedure, contending that the authorities had failed to comply with a specific circular issued by the State Government. The circular stipulated that, for every recruitment drive, the date of document verification must be communicated to each candidate through registered post at least twenty days before the scheduled verification.
Justice Rakesh Mohan Pandey, who authored the judgment, examined the language of the circular and the manner in which the recruitment authority had discharged its duty. The Court observed that the circular employed mandatory language, leaving no discretion to the administration to choose an alternative mode of communication.
The judgment noted that the authority had uploaded the verification schedule on its official web portal and had not dispatched any registered post to the candidates. The petitioners argued that this omission deprived them of adequate time to arrange for the necessary documents and to appear for verification, thereby violating the principle of natural justice.
In its reasoning, the Court emphasized that statutory or executive directions that prescribe a particular method of service must be followed strictly. It held that the purpose of the registered‑post requirement was to ensure actual receipt of the notice by the candidate, a safeguard that a passive website upload could not guarantee.
The Court further observed that reliance on a web portal alone introduced an element of uncertainty, as candidates might not regularly check the site, might face internet connectivity issues, or might be unaware of the upload. Such uncertainty, the Court said, rendered the administrative action arbitrary and contrary to the mandate of the circular.
Consequently, the Court declared that the recruitment notice issued solely through the web portal was invalid to the extent that it failed to satisfy the precondition of prior physical notice. It directed the authorities to issue fresh notices by registered post, adhering to the twenty‑day stipulation, and to allow the candidates a reasonable opportunity to present themselves for document verification.
The judgment also highlighted the broader implication for all government recruitment processes. It warned that any deviation from a prescribed mode of communication, without a valid amendment to the governing rule or circular, would be liable to be struck down as non‑compliant and arbitrary.
By affirming the necessity of physical notice where the law or executive instruction demands it, the Chhattisgarh High Court reinforced the doctrine that administrative actions must conform strictly to the procedures laid down by the competent authority, thereby protecting the rights of candidates to be informed in a reliable and timely manner.