Shimla, August 19: The Himachal Pradesh government has issued fresh instructions to all administrative secretaries, divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners, heads of departments and public sector undertakings, directing that matters related to judgments passed in cases concerning the recruitment and service conditions of government employees be examined and decided only at the level of the concerned administrative department.
The instructions were issued by the Department of Personnel (AP-III) following a Himachal Pradesh High Court judgment dated April 25, 2026, in CWP No. 3361 of 2025, Devinder Kumar and Others versus State of Himachal Pradesh and Another, along with connected matters.
According to the communication, the Himachal Pradesh Recruitment and Conditions of Service of Government Employees Act, 2024, has been quashed by the High Court. However, the state government’s Special Leave Petition challenging the judgment was also dismissed by the Supreme Court on July 29, 2026.
The government said the judgment in the Devinder Kumar case is linked to the earlier judgment of the erstwhile Himachal Pradesh Administrative Tribunal in the Lekhram case and a subsequent Division Bench judgment of the High Court in the Taj Mohammad case.
It has now been decided that all judgments and orders passed in matters based on the Taj Mohammad judgment, along with other connected cases and incidental matters, will be examined and decided only by the concerned administrative department.
The government has clarified that no field-level officer will take a decision in such cases without the approval of the concerned administrative department.
The instructions have been issued to all concerned authorities and departments for strict compliance.
