Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's words must have given 26-year-old tribal youth Muthu his smile back.
On April 30, during his post-cabinet briefing, the CM declared that 'protruding teeth' had been taken out of the list of deficiencies that would disqualify a candidate from any post in the uniformed services under police, forest, transport and excise departments.

In 2022, the tribal youth who belonged to the Anavayi tribal settlement in Palakkad's Attappadi was denied his dream job as a Beat Forest Officer (BFO) after being disqualified on the basis of this now-scrapped criterion.

Muthu had successfully cleared the written examination and physical efficiency test conducted by the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) for a special recruitment drive aimed at Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates dependent on forests for livelihood. However, during the final stage of the selection process, the medical officer mentioned "protruding teeth" in his certificate, which led to Muthu's disqualification during the interview.

“I didn’t know such a condition existed. It was mentioned somewhere at the end of the notification, and I missed it,” says Muthu. “No one had told me, and I had never heard of it before,” he adds.

Muthu's dental condition is the result of a childhood fall. Though correctable through orthodontic treatment, financial constraints prevented him from seeking it. He completed his BA in Political Science from Sree Kerala Varma College in Thrissur before applying for the BFO post, for which the minimum qualification was SSLC.

The disqualification came as a shock, especially because the recruitment process was fast-tracked due to its special nature, wrapping up preliminary procedures in just three months. “I had hope till the last moment,” Muthu says. “But I was rejected, citing a problem that I didn’t even know was a problem.”

Following media reports in December 2022, the Kerala State SC/ST Commission took suo motu cognizance of the issue, but no tangible result came of it. Muthu also filed a plea with the PSC for relaxation of the criteria, but the commission stated that only the government had the authority to amend such rules. At the time, Forest Minister A K Saseendran said the department could not intervene, reasoning that such relaxations could compromise the efficiency of the force. “If a candidate is excluded based on certain criteria, the job will automatically go to another eligible person from the same category,” he added.

Now, after the April 30 cabinet decision, Muthu is cautiously optimistic. “Once the decision becomes an official order, I hope I can apply again and finally get the job I’ve always dreamed of,” he says. However, the order implementing the cabinet decision has not yet been issued. “I don’t know when it will come out, or whether I will still be eligible by then,” Muthu adds.

The cabinet note clarified that departments can amend their respective special rules accordingly. This change was welcomed by many who had long questioned the logic behind such a criterion. “In today’s world, with advanced dental treatment available, this kind of disqualification seems outdated,” says former PSC chairman M K Sakeer. “Probably protruding teeth were seen as a deformity, just like the handicap of a leg or arm, but we need to update our standards with time.”

Wayanad Deputy Wildlife Warden A Shajna admits that it was only after Muthu’s case that forest officials even took note of such a clause. “We’re still waiting for the order. It might include details on why the government now decided to revoke the condition,” she says.

Muthu is now working as an ST promoter in Murukala, Attappadi. “It’s a one-year contract job, mostly fieldwork. I act as a bridge between the government and the tribal community, ensuring they get their entitlements,” he said. Before this role, he had briefly served as a temporary forest watcher and continued preparing for PSC exams.

Despite the setbacks, Muthu remains hopeful. “I didn’t pursue it much back then—what could I do? It was all about PSC rules,” he reflects. “But now, maybe things will change.”