Last Updated on May 7, 2024 by News Desk
On Monday the minimum marks criteria for interviews as a part of the selection criteria for the appointment in the district judiciary in the states of Bihar and Gujarat, was upheld by the court.
The bench comprised of Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Prashant Kumar Mishra that such a policy is not in violation of the right to equality under Article 14.
A plea was filed by 46 unsuccessful candidates who took the district judiciary exam which was held in 2015.
It was highlighted in the plea that there were 99 vacancies but only 9 candidates were selected.
It was alleged that 69 candidates made it out of the shortlisting process and out of them 60 candidates were given a score of 60 but they had performed well in their examinations.
Consequently, a direction of the Patna High Court was sought whereby it the candidates requested to be appointed by relaxing the criteria of minimum marks that had been prescribed for the interview round.
For Gujarat, the vires of the amended rule 8(3) of the Gujarat Judicial Service Rules were challenged.
The ancillary prayer sought that a fresh list be prepared based on the aggregate marks scored in all the rounds, rather than depending on the cut-off
It was held by the SC that a mere apprehension of bias cannot be the grounds for striking down
The court opined that the recruitment of judicial officers should be made based on intellect as well as personality, and the same needs to be gauged during the selection process.
Written By- Shianjany Pradhan (@SHIANJANYPRADHAN)
