Eligibility criteria for appointment of MRT challenged in High Court

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

The Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court has issued notices to the Revenue and Law & Judiciary Departments, as well as the Advocate General of Maharashtra, in response to a petition challenging the revised eligibility criteria for appointments to the Maharashtra Revenue Tribunal (MRT). The petition specifically questions the exclusion of lawyers from eligibility in the revised notification.

The bench comprising Justice Mangesh Patil and Justice Y. G. Khobragade conducted a preliminary hearing and has scheduled the next hearing on July 21.

The petition, filed by Adv. Bharat Kumar Nukte of Nandurbar through Adv. Rajesh Mewada, refers to a notification dated February 4, 2025, issued by the state’s Revenue and Forest Department regarding appointments to the posts of President and Members of the MRT.

As per the 2007 rules, among other criteria, lawyers who were eligible for appointment as High Court judges were also considered eligible for these MRT posts. However, in the revised February 2025 notification, lawyers have been excluded from the eligibility criteria, while all other conditions remain unchanged. Assistant government pleader B M Kagane appeared on behalf of the state.

Request for amendment of two key conditions

The petitioner has requested that the exclusion of lawyers be reversed to align with the original 2007 rules.

The revised rules state that former High Court judges are eligible for MRT positions, but the maximum age limit is set at 62 years. The petitioner points out that the retirement age for High Court judges is already 62, making them ineligible for MRT posts after retirement. Therefore, this condition is contradictory and also needs to be amended.