KAMLESH DEVI Vs. STATE OF HARYANA AND ORS.

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Through the present petition, challenge is made to the selection of Social Study Masters (SS Masters), made in pursuance to advertisement dated 20.07.2006 (Annexure P -5).

(2.) After hearing counsel for the parties and perusing the record with their able assistance, the uncontroverted facts, which have emerged are that through advertisement dated 20.07.2006, applications were invited by the respondent State for filling up various posts including 247 posts of SS Masters, out of which 117 posts were for the General Category and 27 for Backward Class -B (BC -B) Category. The petitioner, being a member of BC -B Category, applied for consideration of his candidature under either BC -B or General Category. The applications being large in number when compared to the number of posts advertised, the respondent - Haryana Staff Selection Commission (hereinafter referred to as - the Commission) decided to shortlist the eligible candidates for interview and accordingly, eligible candidates up to eight times the advertised posts were decided to be shortlisted. The criteria, which formed the basis for shortlisting, was also made public through a Corrigendum dated 18.05.2009.

(3.) After application of the aforementioned criteria for shortlisting, when the number of eligible candidates was not reaching the figure of eight times the advertised number of posts, through another Corrigendum dated 19.05.2009, which was also made public, the minimum cut -off percentage was lowered. After applying the aforesaid criteria, eight times the number of eligible candidates were interviewed between December 2008 and June 2009 and the result of the same was published on 23.01.2010. In pursuance to the result, appointments were offered in March 2010. As the petitioner was not selected, he has preferred the present petition to challenge the entire selection.