Supreme Court Declines to Hear Plea Against Tripura’s PRC Requirement for Government Jobs

AGARTALA: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to hear a petition against the Tripura government's notification that applicants must submit a Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC) to apply for jobs in the state government.

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih refused to hear the case, referring the petitioner to the Tripura High Court.

The petitioner's lawyer argued at the hearing that the notification was unconstitutional in that it introduced a domicile requirement for applicants for government and semi-government jobs.

The lawyer cited a Supreme Court judgment a few weeks ago where domicile-based reservations in medical courses were struck down, insisting that the same principle should be applied here. But the bench asked why the petitioner had not approached the high court first, highlighting its authority to hear such complaints.

After the court's observations, the petitioner withdrew the plea and was free to approach the Tripura High Court. The petitioner's counsel also referenced a linked petition contesting a February 2024 order of the Tripura High Court.

In that matter, the state's Advocate General had explained that the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council had not endorsed the state government's notification about PRC requirements.

The Supreme Court finalized the proceedings by emphasizing the necessity to treat statements provided by constitutional functionaries seriously. This judgment is left with the petitioner to pursue recourse at the Tripura High Court, which now bears the jurisdiction of deciding whether the PRC mandate in government employment applications is valid.

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