HC: Reserved candidate using screening relaxation cannot claim unreserved seat

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana high court has held that a reserved category candidate who avails any relaxation at the preliminary or screening stage of an examination cannot later seek adjustment against an unreserved vacancy.According to the HC, any relaxation granted at the screening stage directly confers a tangible and decisive advantage, as it enables a candidate to cross the threshold and gain access to the subsequent stages of selection. "Even if no relaxation is availed at later stages, the fact remains that the candidate could reach the next level only because of the initial relaxation, without which he could be eliminated at the threshold itself. In such a scenario, the contention that the screening test is of no consequence, merely because its marks are not carried forward to the final merit list, is fundamentally misconceived," the HC held.
Justice Harpreet Singh Brar passed the orders while dismissing a petition filed by Kartik Saini. He challenged the final result for the post of assistant environmental engineer (Group-B) in the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), conducted by the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC). The commission issued an advertisement in 2025 for filling 29 posts. The selection process comprised three stages — a screening test, a subject knowledge test, and an interview. The petitioner, who applied under the BC-B category, argued that another candidate, Nikhil Yadav, though belonging to the reserved category, secured marks higher than the last selected candidate in the general category in the final merit list. He argued that since the marks of the screening test were not counted towards the final merit, the said candidate ought to be "migrated" to the general category. This, according to him, would open a vacancy in the BC-B category and secure his selection. After hearing all the parties, the HC held that the candidate in question secured marks below the general category cut-off in the screening test and progressed only due to relaxed standards applicable to the BC-B category. Consequently, he could not be treated as a general category candidate for the purpose of final allocation. MSID:: 128711174 413 |