After the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) admitted to committing a mistake in the selection of assistants in various departments, the Madras High Court sternly told the recruiting agency that it was not a mere procedural irregularity but an illegality depriving the meritorious candidates of their rights.
Justice S. Nagamuthu made the observation while allowing petitions by three candidates who said their non-selection for posts included in the Combined Subordinate Services Examination-I was illegal.
“It is certain that many candidates like the petitioners who ought to have been selected have not been selected, whereas many candidates who ought not to have been selected have been unduly selected,” he said.
“If the TNPSC commits a single mistake, it may result in a huge loss and mental agony to many deserving candidates,” he said.
The judge, however, said it was not possible to repair the loss or make amends for an error committed by the TNPSC fully or cancel the entire selection (as nearly four years had passed since the exam).
A. Mathiarasi and two others, all graduates, filed writ petitions, saying they appeared for the Combined Subordinate Services Examination-I for the post of assistants in various departments such as Registration, Highways, Prison, Police, Transport and Commercial Taxes.
The advertisement was issued in December 2010. They cleared the written examination. Four others who secured fewer marks were called for certificate verification for non-interview posts and selected. The petitioners said they were not called for certificate verification and not selected.
The TNPSC submitted that the non-selection of the petitioners was a “genuine mistake.” They would be accommodated in the next phase of counselling.
After the TNPSC admitted that the petitioners had been illegally rejected and they would be selected in the next phase of counselling, the judge said he did not want to probe further and hoped that the commission would not commit such mistakes in future.