ANURAG GUPTA Vs. STATE OF PUNJAB

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The present order shall dispose of CWP-22502, 22211, 21406, 22675 & 23071-2014, 2324-2015 & 25636-2015. The facts are being taken from CWP No.22502 of 2014 titled as 'Anurag Gupta and others Vs. State of Punjab and others' , which pertains to Register C. Similarly, CWP-22211-2014 titled Kanwal Rampal Vs. State of Punjab & others , pertains to Register A-II, for which also, the question of law would be similar.

(2.) The petitioners seek the quashing of the merit list dated 25.09.2014 (Annexure P3) prepared by respondent No.3-Punjab Public Service Commission (for short 'the Commission'), whereby 31 candidates have been declared eligible for interview. The same is on the strength of a screening test held on 06.07.2014, for being brought on Register C, as per Rule 15 (2) of the Punjab Civil Service (Executive Branch) Rules, 1976 (for short '1976 Rules') as duly amended in the year 2011. Similarly, in CWP-22111-2014, the petitioner seeks quashing of the result dated 25.09.2014 (Annexure P8) whereby the Commission has shortlisted 77 candidates and declared them eligible for interview, on the basis of the common screening test dated 06.07.2014, for being brought on Register A-II, as per 1976 Rules.

(3.) The challenge is on the ground that it includes the candidates lower in merit than the cut-off of three times the vacancies for the process year and reflects candidates in the zone of consideration far in excess of the ones as required under the rules. Resultantly, prayer is made for declaring the result of the screening test by taking three times the number of posts for each process year as per rules and instructions and short-listing 15 candidates (9+3+3) for 2008, 2009 and 2012, for interview, for Register-C.