The Supreme Court has ruled that Socially backward candidates like Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes cannot be granted age relaxation in jobs if the statutory rules do not provide for such benefits. A bench of justices J M Panchal and H L Gokhale said if rules do not allow age relaxation, courts are not empowered to give direction for relaxing it.
The apex court passed the judgement while dismissing the appeal filed an ad hoc Munsif in Jammu & Kashmir.
The bench, however, asked the high court to consider on the administrative side relaxing the rule since such an age relaxation is provided for in the State's higher judicial