ANIRUDDH NARAYAN SHUKLA Vs. STATE OF U.P.

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This writ petition, along with the connected writ petitions, raises grievance of the applicants/candidates/petitioners, who have applied for appointment to the to the post of Assistant Teacher pursuant to the Assistant Teachers Recruitment Examination, 2018. A total number of 68, 500 appointments were required to be made pursuant to the process initiated by the Additional Chief Secretary of the State of Uttar Pradesh on 09.01.2018. Guiding principles have been laid down for conduct of examination itself. Vide Government Order dated 07.05.2018, a schedule has been published for holding of examination, according to which advertisement was to be published on 08.05.2018. Dates were specified for making online registration, etc. and 27.05.2018 was the date fixed for holding of examination. The examination consisted of one paper of 150 marks and the duration of examination was 3 hours. The answer key, thereafter, was published on 05.06.2018. Objections, against proposed answers, were entertained till 09.06.2018, and the report of the expert committee was to submit its recommendation on 15.06.2018. Modified/corrected answer key was, then, to be published on 18.06.2018 and the result was to be declared on 30.07.2018. It is not in dispute that result, ultimately, was declared on 13.08.2018.

(2.) Petitioners, in this bunch of petitions, have raised various grievances relating to conduct of examination. After hearing learned counsel for the parties, this Court, on 11.10.2018, had crystallized the issues raised by the petitioners in the following categories:-

(3.) Pursuant to the order passed on the previous occasion, Shri Anil Bhushan Chaturvedi, Secretary of the Examination Regulatory Authority, is present along with records and has assisted the Court. He has filed his personal affidavit and records, including the minutes of the committee which had deliberated upon the objections filed by the petitioners to the model answers, have also been produced.