Kohima, January 22, 2026: The Supreme Court of India has upheld the Nagaland government’s decision to regularize the services of 97 medical officers who were engaged during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ruling offers major relief to the doctors whose appointments had come under legal challenge.
The apex court heard the matter on January 16, 2026, and made it clear that the claims raised by the petitioners will not affect the appointments already made by the State. With this order, the Supreme Court has effectively protected the regularization process and ensured that the doctors’ jobs remain secure.
In its order the Supreme Court stated that the petitioners’ claim would have no impact on the doctors who have already been appointed by the Nagaland government.
The court observed that the ongoing legal challenge will not interfere with the services of the medical officers who were regularized by the State, bringing clarity to a matter that had created uncertainty around their employment.
The issue reached the Supreme Court through a Special Leave Petition (SLP) that arose from earlier proceedings before the Kohima Bench of the Gauhati High Court.
On December 11, 2025, the Gauhati High Court upheld the Nagaland government’s move to regularize these medical officers. The High Court judgement supported the State’s decision and allowed the process to continue, even as the matter faced opposition through legal appeals.
Before the December 2025 judgement, a Single Judge of the Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench, passed an important order on August 1, 2025, in WP(C) No. 239/2024 and WP(C) No. 187/2024.
The court allowed the State government to regularize the medical officers engaged under the Special Recruitment Drive, provided the process had not already been completed.
Later, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury dismissed appeals filed against the regularization and upheld the earlier order. The bench found no valid reason to interfere with the State’s decision.
After the Division Bench judgement on December 11, 2025, the matter continued through Writ Appeal No. 32 of 2025. The appellants challenged the regularization of the doctors recruited during the pandemic.
However, the Supreme Court’s order on January 16, 2026 made it clear that the appointments already made by the Nagaland government will remain protected, regardless of the petitioners’ claims.
The Nagaland government regularized the 97 medical officers following the State Cabinet’s approval (No. CAB-1/14/2023) dated August 7, 2024. The government also relied on the Gauhati High Court judgement dated December 11, 2025 in WA/25/2025 while proceeding with the regularization.
These doctors were initially recruited during the COVID-19 crisis to strengthen the healthcare workforce when demand surged across the State.
(Rh/ARC)