HC quashes Excise dept’s mid-recruitment corrigendum

The Kohima Bench of the Gauhati High Court has quashed the written test introduced midway in the recruitment process for Excise Constables under the department of Excise and Prohibition, ruling that the “rules of the game cannot be changed after the game has started.”
Justice Yarenjungla Longkumer delivered the judgment on October 16, 2025 in a case filed by 16 petitioners, challenging the Departmental Recruitment Board’s (DRB) decision to introduce a written test through a corrigendum dated June 4, 2025- after the advertisement for 40 posts was published on April 7, 2025.
The court held that the DRB’s decision to introduce a written examination “midway through the selection process” was “arbitrary and in violation of Article 14 of the Constitution.” It observed that candidates prepare for recruitment based on the procedure specified in the advertisement and that altering the process later puts them at a disadvantage.
Citing Supreme Court judgments, the court reiterated that recruitment rules and procedures must remain consistent once the selection process begins. The court stated that while the government has the authority to prescribe a written test, “such method must be notified in the initial advertisement and not introduced later.”
Accordingly, the court quashed and set aside the corrigendum dated June 4, 2025, and also invalidated the physical test conducted in contravention of the government memorandum dated July 19, 2016, which laid down specific physical and medical standards for field staff recruitment.
The court directed the State respondents, particularly the Excise department, to conduct the recruitment strictly in accordance with the April 7, 2025 advertisement- limited to (a) Physical Test and (b) Suitability Test (Viva Voce) as originally stated.
However, it added that if the government wished to include a written test, it must issue a fresh advertisement compliant with constitutional provisions and conduct the process afresh. The writ petition was accordingly allowed and disposed of with no order as to costs.