AHMEDABAD: Aspirations to walk tall and proud in khaki were diminished after she hit the measuring tape. Several candidates for police jobs in Gujarat moved the Supreme Court after failing to reach full height in the recent recruitment drive, falling below the mandatory limit of 165 cm (5.4 feet) even though they had crossed the same standard earlier. Confusion arose during the physical aptitude test, where candidates whose height was measured at 165 cm or more during the 2024 recruitment drive were declared ineligible. Authorities recently said that aspirants are now below the record. The petitioners include: Tushar Bhaliya and Govind Sindhav from Gandhinagar, Pappu Parmar from Banaskantha and Mukesh Chauhan from Ahmedabad. All have again applied for different police stations and were previously cleared of height.
This time, they got the short end of the stick. As petitions pile up before the Supreme Court, Justice Nirzar Mehta added a filter: Each petitioner must deposit a sum of Rs 10,000 with the court registry, refundable if the claim is valid. To settle the debate over inches versus centimetres, the HC ordered a new measurement to be carried out under strict medical supervision. Candidates must appear on February 19 at GMERS Civil Hospital in Sola, carrying proof of deposit. The concerned authorities at the hospital were directed to arrange and facilitate the operation. Transparency is non-negotiable in this process. “The entire exercise will be videotaped and a report will be submitted before this court on the return date” of February 23, the bench said.
