HC seeks status report on supernumerary Lab Technician posts in Nagaland Police

Eight appointed as Lab Technicians in 2005 continue as GD Constables due to non-creation of posts

Morung Express News
Kohima | August 29

The Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench, directed the Nagaland Government on August 28 to submit a status report on the creation of supernumerary posts or additional positions beyond the sanctioned strength, to accommodate Lab Technicians in the State Police Department

In an order passed on August 28, Justice Yarenjungla Longkumer recorded the submission of counsel appearing for Director General of Police Nagaland a letter to the Home Commissioner, requesting the Home Department to create the supernumerary posts as directed by the Court.

However, the Home Commissioner and the Home Department’s counsel informed the Court that he had received a copy of the letter dated August 27 only on the day of the hearing and sought three weeks’ time to obtain instructions.

The Court allowed the prayer and listed the matter after three weeks.

On the next date, however, the Home Commissioner and the Home Department’s counsel has been directed to produce a status report on the creation of the supernumerary posts of Lab Technicians.

The development follows an earlier hearing on August 13, when the Court had granted the State Government more time to clarify which department, the Home Department or the Department of Health & Family Welfare, would create the supernumerary posts as directed by the Court.

During that hearing before Justice Mridul Kumar Kalita, counsel for the State had produced a communication from the Home Department to the Director General of Police forwarding the Court’s query, but sought additional time to respond to the issue.

The case will now come up for hearing after three weeks.

Case Background:
The case stems from a November 14, 2024 order in a writ petition, in which the High Court directed the State respondents to complete, within 90 days, the process of creating nine supernumerary posts of Lab Technicians to accommodate the petitioners and issue appointment orders without further delay once the posts were created.

The writ petition was filed by eight petitioners who said they had been appointed in 2005 as Lab Technicians but continued to serve as GD Constables due to the non-creation of regular Lab Technician posts.

Records placed before the Court during the hearing also highlighted the prolonged delay in processing the proposal. The Home Department had sent the proposal to the Personnel and Administrative Reforms (P&AR) Department, which sought clarifications and documents on November 22, 2022. These were furnished only on June 14, 2024, but the matter was still under examination when the writ petition was heard.

The State Government then informed the Court that the process was underway but would require a few more weeks.

However,with no positive steps, the petitioners subsequently filed a contempt petition on March 24, 2025, alleging non-compliance and wilful disobedience of the Court’s November 14, 2024 order. The matter still continues.