ASHOK KUMAR Vs. JAMMU AND KASHMIR BANK LTD.

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioners in these petitions are Ex-servicemen and are aggrieved of Advertisement Notification No.JKB/HRD/Rectt/ 2020-73 dtd. 2/7/2020 issued by the Jammu and Kashmir Bank Limited ["the Bank"] for making recruitment of Banking Associates. The petitioners claim that, as per the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004 and the Rules framed thereunder, there is a horizontal reservation of 6% earmarked for the category of "Ex-Servicemen". The Bank having adopted the reservation Rules of the Government is bound to provide said horizontal reservation in favour of the "Ex-Servicemen" category.

(2.) The short grievance projected by the petitioners in this petition is that, though, they were eligible to participate in the selection process undertaken by the Bank for recruitment of Banking Associates under the category of Ex-Servicemen, yet the application forms submitted by them were not entertained. It is with this grievance, the petitioners approached this Court through the medium of these petitions seeking, inter alia, the following reliefs:-

(3.) As is evident from an interim order dtd. 29/7/2020 passed in WP(C) No.1199/2022, this Court, while issuing notice to the respondents for filing objections, also directed the Bank to open online registration of applications for four days starting w.e.f. 30/7/2020 to enable the petitioners to submit their application forms on their own risk and responsibility. This is how the petitioners submitted their application forms and participated in the selection process. The impugned advertisement notification is assailed by the petitioners primarily on the following grounds:-