Unemployed youth move Bombay High Court over delayed induction despite appointment letter

In a glaring instance of bureaucratic apathy, a young man from Sindhudurg district has moved the Bombay High Court after being left jobless for over eight months despite holding a valid appointment letter issued by a government-appointed agency. 

Sumedh Shivaji Jadhav, a postgraduate in English literature from Sawantwadi, was selected in October 2024 as an Assistant Programme Officer under the Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) in Maharashtra. The recruitment was conducted by S2 Infotech International Limited, a private contractor appointed by the State government to manage staffing for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). 

According to the writ petition filed by Jadhav, he received his appointment letter on October 10, 2024. The very next day, S2 Infotech formally informed the Deputy Collector of the EGS branch in Sindhudurg of Jadhav’s selection. However, despite repeated follow-ups and visits to the EGS office in Sindhudurg as well as Mantralaya in Mumbai, Jadhav was never officially inducted into the role. 

“I kept visiting the offices, but they offered no clear response,” said Jadhav in his petition, adding that he remains unemployed even as vacancies for the position persist. 

Frustrated by the silence, Jadhav filed a Right to Information (RTI) request earlier this year, only to receive confirmation that the Assistant Programme Officer post at the Sawantwadi EGS office has been vacant since April 1, 2025. 

The petition raises key constitutional questions under Article 226 and seeks court direction to the State and S2 Infotech to induct him into the position for which he has been selected. It argues that despite following due procedure and clearing the recruitment process, Jadhav has been deprived of a livelihood due to inaction by the authorities. 

The petition said that there is a growing trend where contractual recruitment through private agencies results in ambiguity, delays, and lack of accountability. 

The petition also includes communications between S2 Infotech and the EGS department, the appointment letter, and the RTI reply, substantiating his claim. 

Jadhav has urged the court to intervene to prevent further injustice not just to him, but to ensure transparency and fairness in government-contracted recruitment processes. The Bombay High Court is expected to take the matter for a hearing in the coming weeks.