1 week ago
Court Quashes Haryana Panel's Late Interview Cutoff for Professors
The Haryana government advertised jobs for 189 Assistant Professors in medical colleges.
Candidates were supposed to be judged using 75 marks for academic and other qualifications and 25 marks for interviews.
The Haryana Public Service Commission was asked to conduct the interviews.
Six days before the interviews, it added a new rule requiring candidates to get minimum interview marks.
Some candidates challenged this rule in court.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court said the rule was added too late and had not been included in the original advertisement.
The court also said the recruiting commission had not been shown to have permission to change the rules.
HPSC must now calculate the candidates’ total marks without the new interview cutoff.
Eligible candidates who succeed under the original rules should receive appointment letters.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed HPSC’s December 13, 2022 decision introducing interview cutoffs.
The cutoff required 50% for general-category candidates and 45% for reserved-category candidates.
The change came six days before interviews for 189 Assistant Professor posts were scheduled.
The court said HPSC lacked authority to alter the selection criteria framed by DGMER.
HPSC must recalculate merit out of 100 marks without a viva voce cutoff and issue appointments to eligible successful candidates.
- Who
- The Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Haryana Public Service Commission, DGMER Haryana, and candidates for Assistant Professor posts.
- What
- The court cancelled HPSC’s late-added minimum interview marks and ordered selection to be reassessed under the original criteria.
- Where
- The recruitment was for Government Medical Colleges in Haryana, and the ruling was issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
- When
- HPSC announced the new interview cutoffs on December 13, 2022, six days before interviews scheduled for December 19 and 20.
- Why
- The court found that HPSC had changed the selection criteria after shortlisting candidates and had no demonstrated authority to modify DGMER’s original scheme.
Petitioners’ position
HPSC’s position
Whether the interview cutoff was permissible
Petitioners’ position
The candidates argued that no minimum interview benchmark appeared in the original advertisement or interview call announcements, so HPSC could not add one after shortlisting.
HPSC’s position
HPSC argued that prescribing minimum interview marks was merely the setting of a cut-off, but the court rejected that characterization.
Effect on the selection process
Petitioners’ position
The petitioners’ challenge asserted that the new requirement could exclude candidates despite their aggregate merit under the originally notified scheme.
HPSC’s position
The court said the new threshold could nullify the effect of the detailed 75-mark pre-merit criteria, while HPSC’s stated position was that the threshold was a permissible selection cutoff.
Key facts
- Posts advertised
- 189 Assistant Professor positions in Super Speciality and Broad Speciality subjects
- Original selection scheme
- 75 marks for pre-merit criteria and 25 marks for the interview
- New general-category cutoff
- 50% in the interview
- New reserved-category cutoff
- 45% in the interview
- Interview dates
- December 19 and 20, 2022
- Court’s direction
- Recalculate aggregate merit out of 100 marks without a minimum viva voce cutoff
- Appointment terms
- Successful and otherwise eligible candidates should receive appointment letters; salary is payable from joining
Quotes
Justice Harpreet Singh Brar
Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court
“Being a State‑run recruiting agency, the HPSC cannot afford such doubts regarding its credibility as Caesar’s wife must remain above all suspicion.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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