Gauhati HC upholds preliminary exam criteria for APSC selection

Guwahati, Dec 11: The Gauhati High Court on Wednesday upheld the mandatory nature of the preliminary examination criteria in the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) selection process.

In a judgment delivered on Wednesday, the court dismissed writ appeals filed by multiple candidates who were excluded from the final merit list despite clearing the main examination and interview of the Combined Competitive Examination (CCE), 2018.

The controversy arose from discrepancies in the answer key of the preliminary examination for the 2018 CCE. Initially, 3,361 candidates were declared qualified based on the preliminary exam. After revisions to the answer key, an additional 406 candidates were added to the qualified list, while 98 candidates from the original list fell below the revised cut-off marks.

Despite being disqualified under the revised key, APSC allowed these 98 candidates to proceed to the main examination, citing procedural delays and fairness as reasons. Among them, four candidates, including appellants Shalini Khan and Girbani Deka, performed well enough in the subsequent stages to make it to the final merit list.

The appellants argued that inconsistencies in the preliminary examination’s answer key unfairly impacted their results. However, the court, led by a bench comprising Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Suman Shyam, ruled that under the Assam Public Services (Combined Competitive Examination) Rules, 1989, clearing the preliminary examination is a non-negotiable requirement for eligibility to participate in subsequent stages of the selection process.

The court observed that the inclusion of the 98 disqualified candidates in the main examination was deemed arbitrary and illegal, as it contravened statutory rules.
The court criticized APSC for undermining the integrity of the recruitment process, emphasizing that strict adherence to rules is essential to maintain transparency and fairness.

The judgment reinforces the principle that recruitment processes must strictly adhere to statutory provisions to ensure equity and consistency. By dismissing the appeals, the court has set a precedent for the inviolability of examination criteria in public service selections.
The bench also censured APSC for its handling of the evaluation process, highlighting lapses that led to procedural irregularities. The court’s rebuke serves as a reminder for public bodies to prioritize procedural rigor to avoid legal and ethical challenges in recruitment processes.

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