Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled that candidates who qualify for the next stage of a recruitment process using relaxed qualifying standards applicable to their reserved category cannot later claim a General (Unreserved) category seat, even if their final marks exceed those of the last selected General category candidate.
A bench led by Justice Harpreet Singh Brar dismissed a petition filed by an EWS candidate in connection with the Haryana Public Service Commission’s (HPSC) recruitment of Assistant Professors in History. The court upheld the Commission’s decision, clarifying the rules governing reservation and merit-based selection.
Candidate Scores Higher Than General Category Cut-Off
The Haryana Public Service Commission had advertised 123 posts of Assistant Professor (History) in the Higher Education Department. Of these, 64 posts were reserved for the General category and 11 for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS).
The petitioner, Aarti, an EWS candidate, participated in all three stages of the recruitment process — the screening test, subject knowledge test and interview.
In the final merit list, she secured 51.84 marks out of 100. The last candidate selected under the General category, bearing roll number 66518, had scored 51.06 marks.
Aarti argued that she had not availed any relaxation in age, experience or educational qualifications. Since her final score was 0.78 marks higher than that of the last selected General category candidate, she claimed that she should be considered for appointment against an unreserved seat.
Screening Test Relaxation Becomes Key Issue
The central issue before the court was the petitioner’s performance in the screening test.
Aarti had qualified for the next stage by meeting the relaxed qualifying standards prescribed for the EWS category. However, she had not cleared the screening test cut-off fixed for the General category.
The HPSC maintained that candidates who qualify at the screening stage by availing category-specific relaxations cannot subsequently claim General category seats merely because they secure higher marks in the later stages of the selection process.
The Commission also clarified that 18 candidates from reserved categories had cleared the General category screening cut-off without availing any relaxation. These candidates were subsequently adjusted against General category seats on the basis of merit.
High Court Upholds HPSC’s Selection Decision
The High Court rejected the petitioner’s claim and upheld the HPSC’s decision.
The ruling reinforces the distinction between candidates who qualify for a recruitment stage under relaxed category-specific standards and those who clear the General category qualifying criteria independently.
The court’s decision makes clear that a higher final score alone does not automatically entitle a candidate to a General category seat if the candidate had entered the subsequent stages of the selection process by availing a relaxation at the screening stage.