Plea challenging President's bodyguards recruitment procedure dismissed: SC

Supreme Court has dismissed a plea filed against the recruitment process for the selection of the President’s bodyguards. According to the petitioner, the whole process is caste biased and discriminatory.

Declining to accept the petitioners appeal to withdraw the Public Interest Litigation (PIL), the court said, “This can’t be an issue in the PIL. The President of the Republic can’t be subject matter of the PIL.”

On September 4, 2016, the Delhi High Court had dismissed his plea.

In his petition, Ishwar Singh argued that candidates from just three castes, Sikh, Rajput and Jaat, were recruited as the President’s bodyguards, which is caste biased and discriminatory.

Quoting 2017 media reports on the bodyguard’s recruitment, Singh said that, “Three castes namely Jat, Sikh (except Mazhabi, Ramdasiya, SC & ST) and Rajput were eligible for recruitment and the candidates from these castes only were invited and eligible to participate in the above said recruitment process.”

“Such recruitment is against the principles of equality before law laid down under Article 14 and also against Article 15, prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth, and also against Article 16, equality of opportunity in matters of public employment, therefore, the selection process of President’s bodyguard is unconstitutional and illegal as the same do no permit all eligible citizens of India for selection and recruitment for the said post. The above said recruitment is unconstitutional, racist and apartheid,” Singh added.