SYEDA MISHALI NAZA Vs. STATE OF ASSAM

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The respondent-Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) on 17.05.2018 advertised 165 nos. of different vacant administrative/civil/police service etc. posts in the State for which APSC conducted Combined Competitive (Preliminary) Examination on 30.12.2018 wherein about 60,275 candidates appeared, including the petitioners. By notification dated 13.03.2019 APSC notified that 3361 candidates have passed the said preliminary examination. Thereafter, on 20.03.2019 APSC uploaded the answer keys of the said Combined Competitive (Preliminary) Examination. The petitioners did not qualify the said Combined Competitive (Preliminary) Examination. But, they found that the answer keys, on the basis of which APSC on 13.03.2019 notified that 3361 numbers of candidates have passed the said preliminary examination to be wrong.

(2.) The respondent APSC on 02.05.2019 issued a Press Release (Annexure-N to WP(C) No.3228/2019), admitting the fact that the answer keys of the said preliminary examination were wrong on basis of which it selected as many as 3361 candidates pursuant to its advertisement dated 17.05.2018. However, in that said Press Release APSC had shown their concern that they do not want that the selected candidates should suffer for no mistake of theirs.

(3.) In the said Press Release, respondent APSC also stated that based on re-set answer keys, further 406 candidates were declared to have passed the said preliminary examination, added with those 3361candidates who were already selected by it.