A Suspended section officer of the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) filed a ‘Writ of Quo Warranto’ (calling upon a person to explain under what authority of law he was occupying a public post) before the Bombay High Court on Thursday, February 28, challenging the appointment of an individual to a position reserved for the open category. The petitioner claims that the appointee, who previously identified as a scheduled caste (SC) while working in BEST, allegedly falsely represented themselves as belonging to the open category to secure a high-profile job at MERC.

This individual was subsequently promoted and assigned additional responsibilities, contravening the MERC (Recruitment and Conditions of Services of Employees) Regulation 2007. This is the second such petition filed by the petitioner in the past month. The previous petition, filed in January, highlighted the petitioner’s claim that the contested appointment, flagged as erroneous by MERC’s internal panel and questioned by the state’s Auditor General, denied him promotion despite possessing qualifications and experience.