New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused Haryana Governments plea challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court order quashing the states policy of granting additional marks to its residents in recruitment for certain posts based on socio-economic criteria.
A vacation bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Rajesh Bindal upheld the Punjab and Haryana High Court order setting aside the Haryana Governments policy of awarding extra marks.
The top court remarked that the Haryana Governments decision was a mere populist measure.
The Haryana State Staff Selection Commission moved the Supreme Court against the Punjab and Haryana High Courts May 31 order, which quashed Haryanas notification granting a five percent bonus to domicile candidates based on socio-economic conditions. The Haryana Government defended this decision.
In 2022, the Haryana Government issued a notification granting 5 percent additional marks to domiciles of Haryana in recruitment for Group C and D posts based on socio-economic criteria during the Common Entrance Test of 2023 (CET 2023).
The High Court ruled that the Haryana Government had created an artificial classification, resulting in discrimination between similarly placed persons. The High Court stated that all candidates applying for the post are equally entitled to selection based on the common examination conducted for all.
The Haryana Government implemented the policy in May 2022, affecting various categories of jobs across 63 groups for which the Common Eligibility Test (CET) was held. The High Court directed that a fresh merit list be prepared solely on the basis of CET marks of the candidates.
