Rakesh Sihag v. State of Haryana and Others

CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o1-o INoTHEoHIGHoCOURToOFoPUNJABoANDoHARYANA AToCHANDIGARH

¶1CWP-25505-2021(O&M)o RESERVEDoON:05.07.2023 PRONOUNCEDoON:11.08.2023 RAKESHoSIHAGo ooooooooooooooo ooo.....PETITIONER VERSUSo STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERSooooooooo oooooooooo ooooooo o.....RESPONDENTS 2 CWP-102-2022o RAVINDERoANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 3 CWP-108-2022o YOGESHoKUMARoANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 4 CWP-1111-2022o NARENDERoKUMAR .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoANOTHER .....RESPONDENTS 5 CWP-115-2022o KASHMIRoSINGH .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o2-6 CWP-14012-2022o RAMANDEEPoKAUR .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 7 CWP-14024-2022o PREETIoANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 8 CWP-14072-2022o AJAYoANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 9 CWP-14601-2022o NAVINoKUMARoANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 10 CWP-14829-2022o NAVNEEToANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 11 CWP-16309-2022o JAIoRAMoANDoANR .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o3-12 CWP-20966-2022o(O&M) POOJAoDEVIoANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 13 CWP-20978-2021(O&M) LAXMI .....PETITIONER VERSUS HARYANAoSTAFFoSELECTIONoCOMMISSION .....RESPONDENTS 14 CWP-21288-2021o(O&M) SANGEETAoANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 15 CWP-21383-2021o(O&M) SARITAoDEVI .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 16 CWP-21387-2021o(O&M) POONAMoANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 17 CWP-21665-2021o(O&M) PRIYANKAoANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o4-18 CWP-21923-2021o(O&M) SONIA .....PETITIONER VERSUS HARYANAoSTAFFoSELECTIONoCOMMISSION .....RESPONDENT 19 CWP-21418-2022o PAWAN .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 20 CWP-2376-2022o RUBIoANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 21 oooooooooCWP-25655-2021 AMARJEEToSINGHoANDoANOTHER .....PETITIONERS VERSUS HARYANAoSTAFFoSELECTIONoCOMMISSIONoANDoANOTHER .....RESPONDENTS 22 CWP-26054-2022o AMIToKUMARoANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 23 CWP-26114-2021 PARVEENoSAINIoANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o5-24 CWP-26182-2021 VISHALoKUMAR .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 25 CWP-26242-2021o(O&M) TARUNA .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 26 CWP-26244-2022o ARUNAoSINGHoHARSHANAoANDoANOTHER .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 27 CWP-26248-2021 PANKAJoANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 28 CWP-26252-2021 SAROJoANDoANOTHER .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 29 CWP-26268-2021o NARENDERoANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o6-30 oCWP-26285-2021o MANOJ .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 31 CWP-26458-2021o PARSHANToTEWATIAoANDoANOTHER .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 32 CWP-26460-2021o KARTIK .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoANOTHER .....RESPONDENTS 33 CWP-26518-2021 ADESHoSHUKLAoANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 34 CWP-26556-2021o POOJAoDEVIoANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 35 oooooooCWP-26741-2021 JOGENDRAoRAWAToANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o7-36 oooooooCWP-26755-2021o DEEPAK .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 37 ooooooooCWP-26763-2021o MANJEEToANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 38 ooooooooCWP-26777-2021 RAHUL .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoANOTHER .....RESPONDENTS 39 ooooooooCWP-26788-2021o PARVEENoKHATANA .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 40 ooooooooCWP-26789-2021 BHUPENDERoSINGHoANDoANOTHER .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 41 CWP-26792-2021 MAUSAMoRANIoANDoANOTHER .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o8-42 CWP-26853-2021 SACHINoKUNDUoANDoANOTHER .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 43 CWP-26864-2021 MUNESH .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 44 CWP-26870-2021o PARVEENoKUMARoANDoANOTHER .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 45 CWP-26900-2021 KAMALoANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 46 CWP-26963-2021 PRAMIT .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 47 CWP-27024-2021o MOHANoLALoANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o9-48 CWP-27063-2021 AMIT .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 49 CWP-27099-2021 MANJUoANDoANOTHER .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 50 CWP-277-2022o KIRAN .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 51 CWP-3161-2022 KAPILoKUMARoANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 52 CWP-401-2022o MUKESH .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 53 CWP-521-2022o SONIA .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o10-54 CWP-610-2022o SOYABoKHAN .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 55 CWP-731-2022o LALITAoANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 56 CWP-764-2022o RAHULoANDoOTHERS .....PETITIONERS VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 57 CWP-8004-2023 MONUoKUMARI .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 58 CWP-9901-2022o ROSHANoSINGHoANDoANOTHER .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 59 CWP-10083-2023 RAMANoKUMARoANDoANOTHER .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o11-60 CWP-7385-2023 JASVIRoSINGH .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS 61 CWP-541-2022 POOJA .....PETITIONER VERSUS STATEoOFoHARYANAoANDoOTHERS .....RESPONDENTS ***** CORAM: HON'BLEoMR.oJUSTICEoSANDEEPoMOUDGIL. Present: Mr.oAnkuroSidhav,oAdvocateoforotheopetitionersoinoCWPo Nos.25505oofo2021,oCWPoNos.26248,o26458,o26763,o26900oofo 2021,oCWPoNo.102oofo2022,oCWPoNos.26242,o26252,o26864oofo 2021oandoCWPoNo.521oofo2022.o Mr.oSumitoSangwan,oAdvocateoforotheopetitionero inoCWPoNo.8004oofo2023.o Mr.oBhupinderoMalik,oAdvocateoforotheopetitionersoino CWPoNos.21665oando26755oofo2021.o Ms.oAnjali,oAdvocateoforoMr.oDevenderoArya,oAdvocateo forotheopetitionersoinoCWPoNos.26870oando20978oofo2021.o Mr.oB.S.oRathee,oAdvocateoforotheo petitionersoinoCWPoNo.25655oofo2021.o Mr.oSurenderoPal,oAdvocateoforotheopetitioneroino CWPoNo.26460oofo2021.o Mr.oSanchitoPunia,oAdvocateoforotheopetitioneroinoCWPoNo.27063o ofo2021.o Mr.oAkshitoDhiman,oAdvocateoforo Mr.oDhirajoChawla,oAdvocateoforotheopetitioneroinoCWPoNo.14601 ofo2022.o Mr.oRavioMalik,oAdvocateoforotheopetitioneroinoCWPoNo.26788oofo 2021.o Mr.oJasbiroMor,oAdvocateoforotheopetitionerso inoCWPoNos.14012,o14024,o14072oofo2022,oCWPo Nos.21288oando21387oofo2021.o Mr.oKamaloMor,oAdvocateoforotheopetitionero inoCWPoNo.401oofo2022.o CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o12-Ms.oShavetaoSanghi,oAdvocateoando Mr.oLokeshoSharma,oAdvocateofor theopetitionersoinoCWPoNo.277oofo2022.o Mr.oAmandeepoSingh,oAdvocateoforo Mr.oChaderhasoYadav,oAdvocateoforo theopetitioneroinoCWPoNo.1111oofo2022.o Mr.oRajatoMor,oAdvocateoforotheo petitioneroinoCWPoNo.2376oofo2022.o Mr.oRavinderoSinghoDhull,oAdvocateowith Mr.oNamitoSharma,oAdvcocateoforo theopetitionersoinoCWPoNos.102oando108oofo2022.o Mr.oD.S.oPatwalia,oSr.oAdvocateowitho Mr.oKananoMalik,oAdvocateoforotheo applicantsoinoCWPoNo.25505oofo2021.o Mr.oAmarjitoBeniwal,oAdvocateo forotheopetitionersoinoCWP-14829-2022. Mr.oAshwanioGaur,oAdvocateoforo theopetitioneroinoCWP-21418-2022. Mr.oKaranoSingh,oAdvocateoforo theopetitioneroinoCWP-26853-2021. Mr.oTalimoHussain,oAdvocateoforo theopetitionersoinoCWP-610-2022. Mr.oSumitoGujjar,oAdvocateoforo theopetitioneroinoCWP-26788-2021. Ms.oShrutioJain,oSr.oDAG,oHaryana.o ***** SANDEEPoMOUDGIL,oJ Byothisocommonoorder,othisoCourtointendsotoodisposeooffoCWP-102-2022,oCWP-108-2022,oCWP-1111-2022,oCWP-115-2022,oCWP-14012-2022,oCWP-20966-2021,oCWP-20978-2021,oCWP-21288-2021,oCWP-21383-2021,oCWP-21387-2021,oCWP-21665-2021,oCWP-21923-2021,oCWP-21418-CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o13-2022,oCWP-2376-2022,oCWP-25655-2021,oCWP-26054-2021,oCWP-26114-2021,oCWP-26182-2021,oCWP-26242-2021,oCWP-26244-2021,oCWP-26248-2021,oCWP-26252-2021,oCWP-26268-2021,oCWP-26285-2021,oCWP-26458-2021,oCWP-26460-2021,oCWP-26518-2021,oCWP-26556-2021,oCWP-26741-2021,oCWP-26755-2021,oCWP-26763-2021,oCWP-26777-2021,oCWP-26788-2021,oCWP-26789-2021,oCWP-26792-2021,oCWP-26853-2021,oCWP-26864-2021,oCWP-26870-2021,oCWP-26900-2021,oCWP-26963-2021,oCWP-27024-2021, o CWP-27063-2021, o CWP-27099-2021, o CWP-277-2022, o CWP-3161-2022,o oCWP-401-2022,oCWP-521-2022,oCWP-610-2022,oCWP-731-2022, CWP-764-2022,oCWP-8004-2023,oCWP-9901-2022,oCWP-10083-2023oand CWP-7385-2023ooasocommonoquestionoofolawoisoinvolvedoinoallotheopetitions.o

¶2TheojurisdictionoofothisoCourtounderoArticleo226oofoConstitutionoof Indiaohasobeenoinvokedoforoissuanceoofoaowritoinotheonatureoofomandamus directingotheorespondentsotooconsiderorawomarkso(andonotonormalizedomarks) quaotheopetitioner(s)oandotoograntothemoconsequentialobenefitsoaccordingly, inter-alia,oconsiderohim/heroshort-listedoforoPhysicaloScreeningoTest,oifofound eligible/moreomeritoriousowithofurtherodirectionotootheorespondentsotooallowothe petitioner(s)otooappearoforoPhysicaloScreeningoTestoandooneoseatobeokept reserved/vacantoforohim/herotillotheofinalooutcomeoofotheopresentowritopetition.o

¶3Sinceoinoallotheowritopetitions,oappointmentotootheopostoofoeither maleoconstablesoorofemaleoconstablesohasobeenoassailedopertainingotooone advertisementoNo.o04/2020odatedo30.12.2020o(AnnexureoP-1)oonoaocommon questionoofolawoi.e.,otheoprocedureoforocheckingoofowrittenoexamohasobeen changedobyoadoptingonormalizationomethodoofoevaluationo(percentileoformula), whichowasonotomentionedoinotheoadvertisement.oThereoisonoootheroground CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o14-raisedobeforeothisoCourtoinoanyoofotheowritopetitionsoputtingoupotheochallengeoto theoselectionoprocess.oTherefore,oIoamotakingoupotheofactsofromoCWP-2555-2021oinobriefowhichoareobyoandolargeoidenticaloinothisobunchoofowritopetitions.

¶4Theofactualobackgroundofinallyocanobeocrystallisedotootheoeffect that o respondent o No.3-Haryana o Staff o Selection o Commission o (hereinafter referredotooaso'Commission)ohasopublishedoanooA,ointeroalia,oforofilingoupo5500 posts o of o male o constables o and o 1100 o posts o of o Female o Constables o and examinationoforomaleoconstablesowereoscheduledotoobeoheldoinofouroshiftsoon

07.08.2021oando08.08.2021oandowhenotheoquestionopaperogotoleaked,othenothe saidoexaminationoofomaleoconstablesowereocancelledoandorescheduledoinosix shiftso(havingo4osetsoofoquestionopaperoinoeachoshiftoandoasosuchototalo24osetsoof questionopapers)oono31.10.2021,o01.11.2021oando02.11.2021.o

¶5TheoexamsoforotheopostoofoFemaleoConstablesowasoconductedoon Septembero18oando19,o2021oinothreeoshiftso(ino3osetsoofoquestionopapersoinototal) andoono21.09.2021o(AnnexureoR-3/3),oaogeneralopubliconoticeoapplicableotooall advertisements,owasoissuedobyotheoCommission,oforonormalizationoofomarks.o TheoresultoofowrittenoexaminationoofoMaleoConstableowas odeclaredoon

11.12.2021oandotheopetitionersohereinaboveochallengedotheosame,ointeroalia,oon groundoofo'Rulesoofotheogameochangedoinomidoway'obyoadoptingonormalization methodoofoevaluationo(percentileoformula).oTheopetitionersowereogranted interimo reliefo video ordero dated o 17.12.2021 o passed o in o CWP-25505-2021 permittingothemotooappearoprovisionallyoinoPhysicaloScreeningoTestosubjectoto outcomeoofotheopresentowritopetition.oTheoorderodatedo17.12.2021oreadsoas under:- "Pursuantotooorderodatedo15.12.2021,olearnedoState CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o15-counsel requests for an adjournment to file reply. Per contra, learned counsel for the petitioner contents that the action of the respondent-Commission in altering the rules of selection after the cutoff date is in derogation of well settled law and as a result of change in criteria, candidates getting lesser marks than the petitioner have been called for physical screening test, whereas the petitioner has not been called for the same. Notice of motion. Mr. Pankaj Middha, Addl. AG, Haryana, accepts notice on behalf of the respondents and requests for time to file reply. List on 17.01.2022. Reply, if any, be filed before the date fixed with copy in advance to learned counsel for the petitioner. In the meantime, the petitioner is allowed to participate in the physical screening test purely on provisional basis and subject to the outcome of the writ petition. Result of the petitioner is directed not to be declared without the permission of the Court." !. 7he o fina+ o /esu+t o of o Ae'a+e o Consta1+es o )ere o dec+ared o on

¶52.202 o adoptin( o Nor'a+i<ation o 'ethod o addin( o additiona+ o 'arks o in percenti+eoscoreo)hicho)asocha++en(edoinoTarunaovs.oStateoofoHaryanaoand othersovideowritopetitionobearin oC!Po"o.o262#2oofo2021oandovariousoother )ritopetitions,o)hereinoasoanointeri'o'easure,oono2 . 2.202 oappoint'ents,oif an.,o)ereoorderedotoo1eosu1,ectotootheofina+ooutco'eoofotheosaido)ritopetitions. 7heoorderodatedo2 . 2.202 oreadsoasounder:5 " Learned counsel for the petitioner(s) contends that the action of the respondent-Commission in altering the rules of selection after the cutoff date is in derogation of well settled law and as a result of the aforementioned change in criteria, CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o12-candidates securing lesser marks than the petitioner(s) has/have been selected for the post of constable female. Notice of motion. Mr. Rajesh Gaur, Addl. AG, Haryana, accepts notice on behalf of the respondents and requests for time to file reply. List on 17.01.2022. Reply, if any, be filed before the date fixed with copy in advance to learned counsel for the petitioner. Appointments, if any made, shall be subject to the outcome of the writ petition. List for hearing along with CWP No.25505 of 2021. A photocopy of this order be placed on the file of the connected case."o $. 8eoar(uesothatotheone)ofor'u+aoi.e.oB9ui5Percenti+eoisocorrupt ;dueotooadditionoofosocio5econo'ico'arks=,oinovie)oofotheoAnne?uresoA5"oand A55o;inoCMoNo.o "$&&5CWPoofo2022=,osho)in(o+essero'eritoriousocandidates ;)hooatte'ptedosa'eo9uestionopaper=o(ettin(ose+ectedoando'oreo'eritorious candidateso+eftoun5se+ected>oino)aitin(o+istoandoa+sooinovie)oofoAdditiona+ /ep+.odatedoti#.0&.2022,oad'ittin(otheovariationsoinosa'eoshiftoatoscattered +ocationsofro'o)hichoitoisoa1undant+.oc+earothatotheofunda'enta+ori(htoto e9ua+it.ounderoArtic+eo "oandoe9ua+oopportunit.oino'attersore+atedotoopu1+ic e'p+o.'entounderoArtic+eo !oofotheoConstitution,oofotheopetitionersohaso1een (rave+. o vio+ated o )hi+e o adoptin( o the o 'ethod o of o eva+uation, o )hich o is i'per'issi1+eoando+ia1+eotoo1eosetoasideoandotheorespondentsoareo+ia1+eotoo1e directedotooconsiderora)o'arksoandonotonor'a+i<edo'arksoforodec+arin(> revisin(otheofina+oresu+t.o #. 3earnedocounse+oono1eha+foofotheopetitioner;s=osettin(oupothe cha++en(eotoo'ethodoofoeva+uationo'id)a.oofoprocessovehe'ent+.ocontended CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o17-thatoitohasobeenodoneoillegallyoapplyingotheowithotheohelpoofoPublicoNotice datedo21.09.2021owithoretrospectiveoeffectoapplyingotooanoadvertisementodated

30.12.2020owithocut-offodateotoobeo10.02.2021.oItoisoalsooaverredothatosuchoact ofotheorespondentsoNo.3-HaryanaoStaffoSelectionoCommissionoisoasosuch prejudicialotootheointerestoofotheopetitionersoandoisoagainstotheowellosettled principleoofolawothatotheocriteriaoforoselectionocannotobeochangedomidway'oor onceotheoprocessohasostarted,owhereas,otheonormalizationo(PercentileoFormula) hasobeenoappliedoevenoafteroconductingoofoexaminationoonoAugusto07,o2021ofor MaleoConstablesoandoonoSeptembero18oando19,o2021oofoFemaleoConstables). Learnedocounselohasofurtheroassertedothatoevenothereafter,oandonewoFormulaoof Equi-PercentileohadobeenoappliedoinoJune,o2022,oduringotheopendencyoofothe presentopetitionsoevenoafterodeclaringoresulto(admittingotheofaultoinoearlier Percentileoformula),owhichoisoabsolutelyoimpermissible.oFinallyorelyingouponoa caseolawolaidodownoino'BishnuoBiswaso&oOrs.oVs.oUnionoofoIndia'otooargue thatoinoviewoofotheoprincipleoofo'LegitimateooExpectation'otheorespondentsoare legallyoboundotoofollowoandoadoptotheorulesoandoprocedureoapplicableoasoonothe dateoofopublishingotheoadvertisementoi.e.o30.12.2020o(cut-offodateo10.02.2021) andonoootheroprocedureocanobeoadoptedosubsequentlyoatoanyostageoandothe petitionersohaveolegitimateoexpectationofromotheorespondentsotooadhereotoothe same,osoothatotheyomayobeogivenoequaloopportunityounderoArticleso14oando16oof theoConstitutionoofoIndia.o

¶9Furtherorelianceohasobeenoplacedouponotheojudicialopronouncement renderedobyotheoApexoCourtoinotheocaseoofo'P.MohananoPillaioVs.oStateoof Keralao&oOrs.'oAIRo2007oSCo2840,otooassertothatotheoeligibilityocriteriaoasoalso theoprocedureoasowasoprevailingoonotheodateoofovacancyoshouldoordinarilyobe CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o18-followed.oo

¶10Thiso oCourt,ovideoorderodatedo22.05.2014opassedoinoCWPoNo. 2201oofo2014otitledoaso'VikasoSharmaoVs.oStateoofoHaryanaoandoOrs.'ohas directedotheoserviceocommissionsoH.P.S.C,oH.S.S.C.oandoH.S.T.S.B.otoodeclare complete/detailed o results o of o all o the o advertisements o in o order o to o bring transparencyoandodispelodoubts,obutotheosameohasonotobeenocompliedotillodate byotheorespondentsoandoRaw-marksoresultohasodeliberatelyobeenoconcealed againstotheosaidodirection/ojudgmentodatedo22.05.2014.o

¶11While o concluding o the o arguments, o learned o counsel o for o the petitioner(s)ohasocontendedothatosuchoapplicabilityoofoequiopercentileoformulaois notoatoallosustainableoinotheoeyesoofolawoonotwoogrounds,ofirst,otheopetitioners areonotochallengingotheoequi-percentileoformula,obutoitsoapplicabilityoinopresent setoofofactsowhereotheosystemoofoaddingoadditional/oSocio-economicomarksois there,osecond,otheojudgmentsoreliedouponobyotheorespondentsoareonotoatoall applicableotootheopresentofactsoasotheomatteroinodispute/issue,oinothose judgmentsoisonotoofoaddingoadditionalomarksoafteronormalization,otherefore,othe sameoareoliableotoobeorejectedoandonotoconsidered.o

¶12Lastly,orelianceohasobeenomadeouponovariousojudgmentsoofothe ApexoCourtoasorenderedoinotheocaseo'AnmoloKumaroTiwario&oOrs.oVs.oStateoof Jharkhando&oOrsoandoanotherojudgmentodatedo12.05.016oinooNidhioKaimoVs. StateoofoM.P.,oasowelloasoRamjitoSinghoKardamoandoOrs.oVs.oSanjeevoKumar andoOrs.'o(Civiloappealono.o2103oofo2020)owhileoobservingothat,o'Maliceoin Law'omeansomala-fideoexerciseoofostatutoryopoweroforopurposesoforeignoto thoseoforowhichoitoisoinolawointended.oTheorecruitmentoprocessomustobe transparent,ofair,ojust,ouniform,ologicaloandofooloproofoandonotoviolating CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o19-fundamentalorightsounderoArticleo14oando16oofoevenoaosingleocandidateoandoas suchomustonotobeoprejudicialotooanyocandidateoandobriberyoandonepotismoshould notoguideotheoappointmentsoandoitoshouldonotobeobyowayoofoadoptingopickoand chooseopolicyobyoarbitrarilyoselectingocandidatesowithoutoanyolegaloand reasonableojustificationoforotheosameobyoapplyingosomeoabsurdoformulaoin differentoconditionsothanotheootheroState/PublicoServiceoCommissions,owhich areonotohavingoanyosystemoofoaddingoadditional/oSocio-economicomarks.o

¶13Nooquestionooroargumentoinoadditionotooaboveobyoanyoofothe learnedoAdvocatesoappearingoonodifferentowritopetitions.o

¶14Ms. o Shruti o Jain, o Sr. o DAG o Haryana o for o respondent o No.3-Commissionohasovehementlyocontendedothatothereoisoaodifferenceoinoselection criteriaoandomethodoofoevaluationoandoinotheopresentocase,othereoisonoochallenge tootheocriteriaoofoselectionooprocessofollowedobyotheoCommissionoclarifyingothat theoselectionoforotheopostoofoomaleoandofemaleoconstableohasobeenomadeostrictly accordingotootheocriteriaoasoprescribedoinotheostatutoryoserviceorulesoi.e.oRule

12.6oofoPunjaboPoliceoRules,o1934,o(asoapplicableotooStateoofoHaryana),owhich getsomentionedoinotheotisementoNo.o04/2020odatedo31.12.2020.oItoisoasserted thatomethodoofoevaluationoisoaoscientificomethodotooevaluateotheoperformanceoof aocandidateoinotheowrittenoexamination,owhenotheowrittenoexaminationoisoheld inodifferentoshiftsoandowithodifferentlyodifficultyolevels.ooMs.oJainoalsooargues thatotheorecruitmentoagenciesohaveoabsoluteopowerotooselectoaomethodoof evaluationosubjectotootheorestrictionotootheoeffectothatonoocandidateoisoputoto disadvantageousopositionodueotoodifficultopaper.o oGenerally,otheostandard methodoofoevaluationoinowritten/OMRobasedoexaminationoi.e.opreparationoof resultoonotheobasisoofomarksoawardedotootheocandidatesoagainstotheoquestions CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o20-attemptedobyothemowithoutoanyofurtheroprocessingoofothoseomarksoisodoneoby theoCommission.o

¶15Sheohasolaidostressoonotheofactualoaspectothatoaosignificantlyolarge numberoofoapplicationsowereoreceived:ototalo8,25,921oapplicationsoinocaseoof MaleoConstable,oagainsto5500oadvertisedopostsoandototalo2,54,985oapplications inocaseoofoFemaleoConstables,oagainsto1100opostsoandoalsootheoincidentoof paperoleakageoono07.08.2021,oinocaseoofoConstableo(Male)oexaminationoforced theoCommissionotoointroduceomoreothanooneoquestionopaperoinoeachoshift justifyingotheomethodoofoevaluationoanoexplanationohasobeenomadeoonobehalfoof theoCommissionostatingothatoaccordingly,oinocaseoofoMaleoConstableo4osetsoof papersowereointroducedoinoeachoshifto(totaloofosixoshifts)owitho4osetsoinoeach shiftowhereasoinocaseoofofemaleoconstables,otheowrittenoexaminationowas conductedoinothreeoshifts.oOnobehalfoofotheorespondentoNo.2-Commission,oitois submittedothatoinoviewoofotheoexpertoadviceoobtainedofromotheo"Indian StatisticaloInstitute,oNewoDelhi"oitoadoptedoNormalizationoprocedureobasedoon percentileomethodotoocalculateotheofinalomarksoofocandidatesoinomulti-shift examination,owhileoreferringotooaonoticeodatedo21.09.2021o(AnnexureoR-3/3oto sayothatotheomethodoofocalculationoofopercentileomarksowasomentionedoand explainedoinodetailowelloinotime,owhichodoonotoamountotoochangeoofocriteriaoof selection.oo o

16.o Assertionoisothatothereoisonoodifferenceobetweenopercentileomethod andoequi-percentileomethod,oasobothoareorankedobasedomethod,osameoprocedure isofollowedoinobothotheomethodsotooworkooutotheoresultoinasmuchoasopercentile marksoofocandidatesoareoconvertedointooequatedoscoreooronormalizedoscoreoso thatoanoentityocanobeoaddedotooitoforopreparingotheofinalomeritolist.oFurtherothe CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o21-standoofotheoCommissionoisothatoactuallyotheomoreotransparentoandofaireroomode ofoevaluatingotheowrittenoexaminationohasobeenoadoptedoandononeoofothe candidatesocanocontendothatoanyoprejudiceowasocausedotoothemoevenoifoforothe sakeoofoarguments,oitoisoassumedothatosuchoformulaowasonotoinotheiroknowledge orowasonotomentionedoinotheoadvertisementoparticularlyoinotheolightoofothe peculiarosituationoarisenooutoofolargeonumberoofoapplicantsoandosubsequently leakageoofoquestionopapersoandoaccordinglyoexaminationowasoconductedoin multipleoshiftsowithomultipleosetoofoquestionopapers,owhichonecessitatedothe adoptionoofoscientificomethodoofonormalizationotoobringoallotheocandidatesoonoa uniformoplatformoconsideringotheodifferenceoinoleveloofodifficultyoofoquestions inovariousosetsoofopapersoconductedoinodifferentoshifts.oStressingouponosuch circumstantialochangeoitoisonotoalwaysofeasibleotooinformotheocandidatesoin advanceoasotoowhichomodeoofoevaluatingotheowrittenotestowillobeoadopted.o

¶17Onotheoquestionoofomarksoawardedoduringotheophysicaloscreening testoearmarkedoforoaototaloofo20omarks,oMs.oJainowouldosubmitsothatoitocannot beotheocaseothatoallotheocandidates,owhooappliedoandoappearedowillogetotheo20 marks, o which o are o allocated o under o various o heads o such o as o educational qualification,osocioo-economyostatusoetc.,owhichoalwaysovariesofromoindividual tooindividual.oTherefore,otheseomarksoareoneitherorequiredotoobeonorocanobe normalized,owhichootherwiseo owouldoruinoveryoideaoofonormalizationoof difficultyoleveloaccruedoamongodifferentoshiftsobecause,oitomayoremoveothe erroroinoscoreoofofewocandidatesowithinoshiftoonooneohand,obutocertainlyowill curtailotheochancesoofoaocandidateoofosomeootheroshiftsoinoaobunchofromothe selectionoandoitoisoboundotooforfeitotheopurposeoofonormalization.o

¶18Whileofoldingoupotheosubmissionsolastly,olearnedoStateocounselohas CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o22-dra)noattentionoofothisoCourtotootheofactothatofe'a+eocandidateso)ereo)e++ infor'edovideo(enera+opu1+iconoticeodatedo2 .0&.202 o;Anne?ureo/5%>%= i''ediate+.oafterotheodateoofo)rittenotestoofotheo+astoevenin(oshiftohe+doon &.0&.202 ,o)hereasoinotheocaseoofo'a+eocandidatesoinfor'ationo)asoprovided videopu1+iconoticeodatedo25. 0.202 oi.e.,oa+'ostooneo)eekopriorotootheodateoof )rittenoe?a'ination,o)hichoco''encedodurin(o% . 0.202 otoo02. .202 .o &. *eforeoconc+udin(oherosu1'issionsore+ianceohaso1eeno'adeoonoa ,ud('ento1.otheoSupre'eoCourtoinoStateoofo)ttaroPradeshoando'thersovs.o.tu, -u2aro6wivedioando'thers4o2002oSCCoon,ineoSCo17odatedoti$.0 .2022o)ithoa specificoattentionotooparao&0oFo& ,o)hichoreadsoasounder:5 "In conclusion, the exercise undertaken by the Board in adopting the process of normalization at the initial stage, that is to say, at the level of Rule 15(b) of Recruitment Rules was quite consistent with the requirements of law. The power exercised by the Board was well within its jurisdiction and as emphasized by the High Court there were no allegations of mala fides or absence of bona fides at any juncture of the process. One more facet of the matter is the note of caution expressed by this Court in paragraph 20 of its decision in Suni,o-u2aroandoothersovs.o%iharoPub,i7oServi7e Co22ission o and o 'thers. As observed by this Court, the decisions made by expert bodies, including the Public Services Commissions, should not be lightly interfered with, unless instances of arbitrary and mala fide exercise of power are made out. We have, therefore, no hesitation in accepting the challenge raised on behalf of the State and allowing these appeals and setting aside the judgment and order passed by the High Court presently under challenge. The results declared by the Board on 28th February 2019 shall now be given effect as early as possible." CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o2.-

¶208eardo+earnedocounse+oforotheorespectiveoparties.o 2 . 7oosu''ariseotheoriva+ocontentionsoadvancedo1.otheoparties,othe su1'issions,o+earnedocounse+oappearin(oono1eha+foofotheopetitionersoino1rief cano1eorecordedoasounder:5

(i) The thrust of the petitioner, while laying challenge to the normalised percentile score to determine the eligibility of the candidates dehores the criteria laid down in the advertisement No. 04/2020 dated 30.12.2020 (Annexure P-1),

(ii) Such method once adopted already shows that the students having secured more marks have been put to disadvantageous position and have been exited from the eligibility list, who otherwise have attained the qualifying marks, if actual-raw marks are assigned.

(iii) The new method of normalization by applying equi percentile mode, is illegal, which was not brought to the notice of the petitioners-candidates prior to submission of application forms under the advertisement No.04 of 2020 (Annexure P-1).o

¶227heo,ustificationoono1eha+foofotheoStateo)ou+do1eocr.sta++i<edoas under:5 ;i= Ms.oShrutiotiain,o3d.oSr.o-A6o8ar.anaodre)oaodifferenceoinose+ection criteriaoando'ethodoofoeva+uation.o7heoCo''ission5/espondentoNo.%o1ein(oa recruit'entoa(enc.odidonotodeviateofro'otheose+ectionocriteriaoandostrict+. adheredotooitoaso)asoenu'eratedoinotheoadvertise'entsoaso)e++oasotheostatutor. ru+esoparticu+ar+.o/u+eo 2. !oofoPun,a1oPo+iceo/u+es,o &%".o7heonecessit.oto adoptoaodifferento'odeoofoeva+uationoaroseoinotheo+i(htoofo+ar(eonu'1eroof app+icantsoi.e.,o#,25,&2 oinotheocaseoofo'a+eocandidatesoa(ainsto5500oadvertised postso)hereaso2,5",,&#5oapp+icationso)ereoreceivedoinotheocate(or.oofofe'a+e consta1+esoa(ainsto 00oposts.oAddin(ofurtherotootheoiron.otheo9uestionopaper CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o24-gotoleakedoono07.08.2021oandounderocompulsionotheoansweringorespondentohas toointroduceomoreothanooneoquestionopaperoinoeachoshift,owherebyoforomale constablesofourosetsoofopapersowereointroducedoinoeachoshift,owhileoconducting theoexaminationoinosixoshifts,owhereasoinocaseoofofemaleoconstablesotheowritten testowasoconductedoinothreeoshifts.oTheoconductoofowrittenotestoinomultipleoshifts resultedointoodifficultyoleveloinoquestionopaperoofovariousoshiftsoleadingoto changeoinotheoresultotootheoextentothatotheomaximumonumberoofocandidatesowho getohigheroscoreoinotheowrittenoexaminationowereothoseocandidates,owho attemptedotheoquestionopaper,owhichowasorelativelyolessodifficultoculminating intooprejudiceotootheocandidatesoappearingoinootheroshifts.o

(ii)o Asofaroasononeoofotheocandidates-petitionerocanocontendoanyoprejudice wasocausedotoothe.oInofact,osuchocontentionoisonotoonlyomis-placedobut fallacious,oinasmuchotheomeritoisotoobeopreparedoonotheobasisoofomarksosecured inotheowrittenoexaminationoandounderosocio-economicocriteriaoandoonoaccount ofo highero qualification.oTheo equi-percentileo formulao is oconsidered o most accurateoamongoallotheoavailableoformulasoofonormalization,owhichomadeoits wideoacceptanceoallooveroinotheoresult,owhereosomeoadditionalomarksoareotoobe addedotoowrittenomarks.oItoisoalsoovigorouslyosubmittedoobyotheorespondentothat ifothisoformulaoisodiscardedothenoallotheoresultoofoUPSC,oGateoexamination, Neet-PGowillobeoinvalidowhereonormalizationohasobeenodoneobetweenodifferent subjectsotooreachoaocommonoequi-percentileoscore.

(iii) oToostandoonoaofirmofooting,otheolearnedoStateocounselohasoreferredoto generalopubliconoticeodatedo21.09.2021o(AnnexureoR-3/3)oi.e.,ojustoafterothe dateoofowrittenoexaminationoheldoono19.09.2021o(lastoeveningoshift)otoothe effectothatorespondentoNo.3oshallobeooptingoforonormalizationomethodoinocaseoof CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o25- 'u+tip+eoshiftoe?a'inationo)ithodifferentodifficu+t.o+eve+,o)hereasoinotheocase ofo'a+eocandidates,oito)asoinfor'edovideo opu1+iconoticeodatedo25. 0.202 'uchoinoadvanceotootheoho+din(oofo)rittenoe?a'inationodurin(otheoperiod % . 0.202 otoo02. .202 . 2%. Priorotoohavin(ore(ardotootheoaforesaidosu1'issions,oito)ou+do1e un,ustoforothisoCourtoifoorderodatedo 5.0$.2022odurin(otheoear+ieroproceedin(ois i(noredovideo)hichocertaino9ua+ificationso)ereosou(htofro'otheo8ar.anaoStaff Se+ectionoCo''ission5respondentoNo.%oonotheofo++o)in(oissues:5

(i) At what stage, this formula can be introduced by the Commission?

(ii) Was the normalization method so adopted by the Commission was even informed to the candidates?

(iii) What is the difference between both results of Female Constable declared firstly by adopting Percentile Method on

15.12.20212 and thereafter by adopting equi percentile method on dated 17.06.2022.

(iv) How base shift was selected by the Commission? 2". 7heoaforesaido9ueriesohaveo1eenoissueo)iseoans)eredo1.othe respondentoNo.%. st25. 7he o ans)er o to o o issue o )as o that o the o stand o taken o 1. o the Co''ission5respondentoNo.%oe+a1oratesothatoitocannotoanticipateotheonu'1er ofoapp+icationsothato)ou+do1eoreceivedoa(ainstotheopost;s=oandoaccordin(+.,othe conductoofoe?a'ination.o:toisonotoa+)a.sotooinfor'otheocandidateoa1out nor'a+i<ationo'ethodoatotheoti'eoofoadvertise'entosinceotheofactorso+ike nu'1eroofoapp+ications,onu'1eroofoshiftsoforotheoe?a'otoo1eoconducted, nu'1eroofotota+o9uestionopapersotoo1eousedoaso)e++oasodifficu+t.o+eve+o+ike+.oto occurovideo'u+tip+eo9uestionopapersosett+edoforodifferentoshifts.oA++othese CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o22-factorsoareopostoreceivedoofoapp+icationsofro'otheocandidateso+eavesothe discretiono)ithotheoCo''issionotoodecideoandoadoptoan.ootherosuita1+e transparentoandofairo'ethodoofoeva+uationosuchoasonor'a+i<ation,osca+in(oor 'oderationoetc.o8ence,osuchodecisionoofoadoptin(oao'ethodoforoeva+uationoof )rittenoe?a'inationocano1eoconve.edotootheocandidatesoatoan.oti'eooroatothe sta(eo1eforeoprocessin(oofotheoresu+toofo)rittenoe?a'ination,o)hichodoonot effectoinoan.o)a.otheose+ectionocriteriaoinc+udin(otheoperfor'anceoofothe candidatesoinotheo)rittenotest.o 2!. Cnotheosecondo9uer.oputo1.othisoCourt,oe?p+anationoca'eoforthoin theofor'oofo6enera+oPu1+icoNoticeodatedo2 .0&.202 oinotheocaseoofofe'a+e candidates o i.e., o t)o o da.s o after o the o conduct o of o )ritten o e?a'ination o on &.0&.202 o;+astoevenin(oshift=,o)hereasoinotheocaseoofo'a+eocandidates,oito)as )e++oinoadvanceotoosa.oato+eastooneo)eekovideopu1+iconoticeodatedo25. 0.202 1eforeoconductoofotheo)rittenoe?a'ination,o)hichohe+dofro'o% . 0.202 oti++

¶02.202 . 2$. 7heostanceoovero9uer.oNo.%oca'eotoo1eorep+iedoinoparao#oFo&oof additiona+orep+.odatedo !.0#.2022ofi+edo1.o*hartio*hushan,ounderoSecretar., 8ar.anaoStaffoSe+ectionoCo''ission,o)hichoreadoasounder:5 "8.That with regard to the third question that what is the difference between both results of Female Constable declared firstly by adopting Percentile Method on dated 15.12.2021 and thereafter by adopting equi-percentile Method on dated

17.06.2022, it is pertinent to mention here that basically, there is no difference between Percentile method and equi-percentile method. Both are rank based method and same procedure is followed in both the methods to work out the result. Percentile method is first stage of equi-percentile method, it is perfect, and CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o2-- error free if no extra marks are required to be added further to this percentile score. This formula is widely adopted in entrance examinations where nothing is to be added to written examination marks. The limitation of this formula is that, nothing can be added to Percentile score as it is rank based score and raises raw marks of even 50marks to 98.5 percentile depending upon the rank among the candidates of that shift in which candidate has appeared. The equi-percentile formula further converts this percentile score into equated marks like raw marks in reference to a randomly selected base shift Now at second stage additional marks of socio-economic criteria and additional qualification can be added to these equated marks of written examination to prepare the final result. Additional marks if added directly to percentile score then it gives erroneous results.

¶9That in the result for the post of Female Constable declared on dated 15.12.2021 the same was declared by adopting percentile method solely and additional marks either of socio economic criteria or of addition qualification were added to percentile score which exceeded the selection criteria of 100 marks examination. Thereafter, in the result for the post of Female Constable declared on 17.06.2022, the entire result dated

15.12.2021 was taken as it is after excluding additional marks and the percentile scores of candidates were converted into equated score by applying equi percentile formula and in the equated score so received marks of socio economic criteria and additional qualifications were added and final result was declared. Thus, the error which had crept in preparation of the result declared on 15.12.2021, which was challenged by number of candidates in the court, the same has been rectified by revising the result as per the suggestion of the institute i.e. Indian Statistical Institute annexed as Annexure R-3/4. However, it is relevant to mention here that out of total 1100 candidates selected for the post of Female Constable (G.D.) vide result dated CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o2/-

15.12.2021 only 188 candidates got ousted from result dated

17.06.2022 and remaining candidates remained same. Further, a comparative sheet disclosing the need of revision of result dated

15.12.2021 alongwith adopting normalization method for preparing result for post of female constable will be produced with the data of actual candidates in a sealed cover before the Hon'ble Court." o2#. 7heorep+.otooissueoNo."ohaso1eenop+acedo1eforeothisoCourtovide parao 0ootoo 2oofoadditiona+orep+.odatedo !.0#.2022ofi+edo1.o*hartio*hushan, underoSecretar.,o8ar.anaoStaffoSe+ectionoCo''ission,o)hichoreadoasounder:5 "10. That regarding the fourth query regarding the adoption of a base shift, it is relevant to mention here that there is no rule to select a shift as reference or base shift. Any shift can be selected as reference or base shift and will give the same result upto the level of four decimal places. It was observed from the decision of Hon'ble Supreme Court of India declared on 7th January, 2022 in recruitment case of Sub-Inspector (U.P. Police) in which the base shift was selected randomly and result was prepared by equi-percentile method on the basis of this base shift. In this examination which was held in 2017, the candidates had to score 50%, 45% and 40% in various categories to qualify for Physical Screening Test and Physical Measurement Test to enter further process of selection. Since the base shift was selected randomly resulting in reducing the marks of some candidates who were on margin line, consequently on the basis of these equated normalised marks they couldn't qualify for PST/PMT. Aggrieved of this result, these candidates moved to Allahabad High Court and won the case. The Uttar Pradesh Police challenged this verdict in Hon'ble Supreme Court of India resulting in reversal of decision of Allahabad High Court, consequently the equated score calculated by applying equi-percentile method was upheld. In the present case, the Commission (HSSC) sought the opinion CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o23-of Indian Statistical Institute on normalization method and on selection of base year. As suggested by the Indian Statistical Institute the following are the ways to select a base shift :-

(i) One of the shifts is chosen randomly. The entire array of actual raw marks from that should be the presumptive scale.

(ii) For each shift, find the mean of the raw marks. Choose th shift with the maximum mean. The raw marks in this shi may be chosen as the presumptive scale.

(iii) Choose the shift in which maximum number of candida appeared for the examination. The corresponding array the actual raw marks in the shift would constitute presumptive scale.

(iv) Combine the entire list of raw marks (across all shifts). This array would constitute the presumptive scale of marks.o

¶11That from the above suggestions of Indian Statistical institute, it is clear that any shift can be taken as base shift randomly. though the Commission by taking all the implications of base shift into consideration has taken that shift as base shift which was easier out of all other shifts and whose mean was maximum. Obviously the shift which is easier and in which maximum candidates are clearing the said examination would have maximum mean over the other shifts. The logic behind choosing the easier shift as base shift is that by doing so the possibility of lowering down of marks is eradicated. In simple words it can be said that when the marks of other shifts are brought equal to the marks of shift which has maximum highest score and mean in that scenario the marks of candidates from other shifts will increase and marks of no candidate will decrease or will be lowered down. Thus, this was the logic/reason for selecting the easier shift with highest score and maximum mean as base shift in case of both Male Constable and Female Constable. It is relevant to mention CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o.0-here that to determine the easiest shifts, following three factors were considered;

i) Marks of Rank-1 of each shift and last candidate shortlisted in each shift but this method is not scientific as Rank-1 may have different level of knowledge.

ii) Average mean score of all the candidates in each shift calculated by statical formula. It is more reliable.

iii) The number of candidates in seven times on the basis of raw marks in written examination before calculating the percentile score. The easiest shift will have a greater number of candidates. All the above factors were taken into account to select base shift and the Commission chose easiest shift as base shift as the mean of easiest base shift will be more and marks of candidates from other shift will increase accordingly.

12.That thus, the decision of Commission to select the easiest shift having least difficulty level as base shift was more reliable because by doing so none of the candidate will be loosing marks as marks of other shifts which are comparatively tougher will increase slighter. It is scientifically proved that shortlisted candidates will remain the same whatever may be the base shift, it will not be going to affect the selected candidates but only increase or decrease the cut-off marks of selected candidates, in support of this argument the Commission will produce supporting data in a sealed cover of actual candidates who appeared in written examination. If we select easy shift then cut-off will be higher on the other side if difficult shift is selected as base shift, then the cut-off will be lowered but shortlisted candidates will remain the same. In this case, the cut-off marks are immaterial since there is no qualifying cut-off marks/percentage. It is only with a view to reduce the resentment among the candidates in terms of CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o31-marksothatotheoeasyoshiftowasoselectedoandotheoresult remainsounaffectedobyochangingobaseoshift."

¶29Tooadvertoforoadjudicatingotheoquestionoinohandobeforeoproceeding further,oitoisoimperativeotooexamineodifferenceobetweenopercentile/raw-marks andotheonormalizedoequi-percentileoformula.o

¶30Theopercentileomethodoofonormalizationocanobeounderstoodoinoa simplifiedomanneroi.e.opercentileoofoaocandidateoobtainedoinotheorespective shiftsoisocalculatedoshift-wise.ooSupposeoanoexaminationoisoconductedoinothree shiftsoandotheopercentileoisocalculatedoforoshift-1oshift-2oandoshift-3ousing formulaeoasounderoandothereafterofilesoofoalloshiftsoareocombinedotogetherointooa singleofile:- Percentile = No.oofocandidatesoscoredomarksolessothanoparticular marksoinotheowrittenoexaminationoinothatoparticularo respectiveoshifto(m) ????????????????????????????????????????????????Xo100 Totalonumberoofocandidatesoappearedoforotheoexamofor thatoparticularorespectiveoshifto(n).

¶31Now,opercentileoscoreoofocandidateohavingohighestomarksoinothat particularoshiftowilloalwaysobeo100.o

¶32Percentileomarksoofocandidatesoareoconvertedointooequatedoscore oronormalizedoscoreosoothatoanoentityocanobeoaddedotooitoforopreparingotheofinal meritolist.o Formulaeoforoequiopercentileoisoasounder:- Y=Y1o+(Y2-Y1)o*o(X-X1) ooo(X2-X1) Y= Equatedoscoreooronormalizedoscore Y1= MarksocorrespondingotooimmediateoloweropercentileofromoShifto1 Y2= MarksocorrespondingotooimmediateoupperopercentileofromoShifto1 X1= ImmediateoloweropercentileofromoShifto1 X2= ImmediateoupperopercentileofromoShifto1 X= Percentileoofocandidateooforespectiveoshift.o CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o.2- %%. :notheocaseoinohandooneoshiftoisotakenoasoao1aseoshifto)ithoreference too)hichotheo'arksoinootheroshiftsoareoe9uatedooronor'a+i<ed.oo %". Accordin(otoo:ndianoStatistica+o:nstitute,ofo++o)in(oareotheo)a.soto se+ectoao1aseoshift:5

(i) One of the shifts is chosen randomly. The entire array of actual raw marks from that should be the presumptive scale.

(ii) For each shift, find the mean of the raw marks. Choose the shift with the maximum mean. The raw marks in this shift may be chosen as the presumptive scale.

(iii) Choose the shift in which maximum number of candidates appeared for examination. The corresponding array of the actual raw marks in the shift would constitute the presumptive scale.

(iv) Combine the entire list of raw marks (across all shifts). This array would constitute the presumptive scale of marks. %5. Aro'otheoa1oveo)a.soasosu((estedo1.otheo:ndianoStatistica+ :nstitute,oitoisoc+earothatoan.oshiftocano1eotakenoaso1aseoshiftorando'+..ooo %!. :notheo+i(htoofoa1oveodiscussionoapparent+.othereoisonoodifference 1et)eenopercenti+eo'ethodoandoe9ui5percenti+eo'ethod.oo*othoareoranko1ased 'ethodsotoo)orkooutotheoresu+t.ooMoreover,oifonooe?trao'arksoareore9uired furtherotoothisopercenti+eoscore,o)hichoisotheofirstosta(eoofoe9ui5percenti+eo'ode, theosa'eoisotransparent,operfectoandofreeoofoan.oerror.oo:noaoscenarioo)here nothin(oisotoo1eoaddedotootheo)rittenoe?a'inationo'arks,othisofor'u+aeois successfu++.oapp+ied,oasoitoraisesora)o'arksoofoeveno50otoo&#.5opercenti+e +ar(e+.odependin(ouponotheorankoachievedo1.otheocandidateoofoaoshiftoino)hich CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o33-

¶37Atotheosameotimeoequi-percentileomethodoisoaostepoaheadowhich convertsothisopercentileoscoreointooequatedomarksolikeorawomarksoinoreference tooaorandomlyoselectedobaseoshift.ooItoisonotoinodisputeothatoallotheonormalization modesoareoactuallyostatisticaloformulaobasedoonodispersionopatternohavingoits ownolimitations.ooTheolimitationotootheopercentileoformulaeoisothatonothingocan beoaddedotooitofororeachingotooaofinaloscoreowhichootherwiseomayosqueezeothe differenceoofomarksotooaosmallopercentileodifference.o

¶38Therefore,oitocanobeosafelyoconcludedotootheomindoofothisoCourt thatotheopercentileoformulaoisoperfectoandoerrorofreeowherein,onothingohasobeen addedotoopercentileoandotheoequi-percentileoformulaoatotheosameotimeoperfectly calculatedotheoequatedomarks,owhichohasotheodutyoofomaintainingotheocandidate securingohigherorawomarksooveroandoaboveotheocandidateosecuringolesseroraw marksoinotheowrittenoexaminationoinosameosetoofopaperooroshift.oo

¶39ThisoCourtoisoalsoosanguineoofotheofactothatotheocriteriaoofoselection asopointedooutobyotheorespondent-Commission,owasoknowledgeotest/written examination ocarries o80%oweightageo whereas,o10%o weightageoeach owas earmarkedoforotheosocio-economicostatusoandoforotheoadditionaloqualification.oIt isoonothisobasisotheocandidatesowereoshortolistedotooappearoinotheophysical screeningotestoasowelloasophysicalomeasurementotestoandothereafterowho qualifiedowereoinvitedoforodocumentoverification/scrutiny.o oInothisowayothe marks oobtained oino theosocio-economico status oas owello as oforo additional qualificationoareoaddedotootheomarksoofoknowledgeotest/writtenoexamination andoaccordinglyotheofinalomeritolistowasoprepared.o

¶40Atothisostage,oitoisoofoutmostoconsiderationotootestotheosubmissions of o respondent-Commission,o as o to o what o necessitated o the o shifting o in o the CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o34-examinationsounderoquestionobeforeothisoCourtofromopercentileotooequi-percentileomethod,owhichoasoaomatteroofofactoremainoun-rebutted.oTheoresultofor theopostoofoFemaleoConstableowasodeclaredoonodatedo15.12.2021obyoadopting percentileomethodosolelyoandoadditionalomarksoeitheroofosocio-economic criteriaooroofoadditionoqualificationowereoaddedotoopercentileoscore,owhich exceededotheoselectionocriteriaoofo100omarksoexamination.oAfterotheodeclaration ofotheofinaloresultoofoFemaleoconstableo(GD),otheocandidatesoapproachedothe Commissionomentioningothatorawomarksoofosocio-economicocriteriaocannotobe added o to o the o percentile o marks. o The o Commission o went o through o the correspondence o made o with o the o Indian o Statistical o Institute o (ISI) o and o it transpiredothatotheoCommissionoinadvertentlyodidonotospecifyothatosocio-economicomarksoareotoobeoaddedoinotheowrittenoexaminationomarks.oThe CommissionoapproachedoISIoinformingotheosameobutotheoISIoinformedothatothe marksoforosocio-economicocriteriaomayobeoaddedotootheopercentileomarks obtainedobyotheocandidates.oHowever,otheoCommissionokeptoonoreceivingothe representations.oTherefore,oevenoafterotheodeclarationoofotheoresultoofoFemale Constableo(GD,otheoCommissionoagainoapproachedotheoISIo(IndianoStatistical Institute),oNewoDelhioandotheoISIorecommendedoequi-percentileomethod.oCopy of o the o write-up o recommending o equi-percentile o method o is o enclosed o as AnnexureoR-3/4owithoShortoReply.o

¶41Thereafter,oinotheoresultoforotheopostoofoFemaleoConstableodeclared ono17.06.2022,otheoentireoresultodatedo15.12.2021owasotakenoasoitoisoafter excludingoadditionalomarksoandotheopercentileoscoresoofocandidatesowere convertedointooequatedoscoreobyoapplyingoequi-percentileoformulaoandoinothe equatedoscoreosooreceivedomarksoofosocio-economicocriteriaoandoadditional CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o35-qualificationsowereoaddedoandofinaloresultowasodeclared.oThus,otheoerrorowhich hadocreptoinopreparationoofotheoresultodeclaredoono15.12.2021,owhichowas challengedobyonumberoofocandidatesoinotheocourt,otheosameohasobeenorectified byorevisingotheoresultoasoperotheosuggestionoofotheoinstituteoi.e.,oIndian StatisticaloInstitute.oHowever,oitoisorelevantotoomentionohereothatooutoofototal 1100ocandidatesoselectedoforotheopostoofoFemaleoConstableo(G.D)ovideoresult datedo15.12.2021oonlyo188ocandidatesogotooustedofromoresultodatedo17.06.2022 andoremainingocandidatesoremainedosame.ooo

¶42Inotheolightoofoafore-saidodiscussion,oIoamoconvincedotootheoeffect thatotheopercentileoformulaoasotheolimitationothatonothingocanobeoaddedotooa percentileotooreachotheofinaloscore,oasoitosqueezesotheolargerogapoofomarksotooa smallopercentileodifference.ooThisoformulaoisoapparentlyoerrorofreeoandowould beoperfect,oifonothingoisotoobeoaddedotoopercentile.ooFurtherotooaddoanythingotooa percentile,oitoisoconvertedotooequatedomarksoandotheoequi-percentileoformula perfectlyocalculates otheoequatedomarksoandoalways okeepsotheocandidate securingohigherorawomarksoaboveotheocandidateosecuringolesserorawomarksoin writtenoexaminationoinosameosetoofopaper/shift.

¶43Theorespondent-Commissionohasoalsoosuccessfullyodemonstrated beforeothisoCourtoasotoowhatonecessitatedotheointroductionoofoequi-percentile modeoofoevaluationoinotheorecruitmentoprocess.ooItowasoprimarilyoonoaccountoof largeonumberoofoapplicationsoi.e.o8,25,921oforotheopostoofomaleoconstablesoas againsto5500oadvertisedopostsoandotooaccountoforo1100opostsoofofemale constableso2,54,985oapplicationsowereoreceived.ooSubsequently,oinotheocaseoof Constableo(Male)oaopaperogotoleakedoono07.08.2021oandoCommissionowas forcedotoointroduceomoreothanooneoquestionopaperoinoeachoshift.ooTheowritten CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o36-examinationowasoconductedoinoseveraloshiftsoandoasosuchodifficultyoleveloin questionopapersoforodifferentoshiftsovariedoleadingotoochangeoinotheoresultotoothe extentothatotheomaximumonumberoofocandidatesowhoogotohighestoscoreoinothe writtenoexaminationowillobeothoseocandidatesowhooattemptedotheoquestion paperowhichowasorelativelyolessodifficultocausingoprejudiceotootheocandidates whooappearedoinootheroshifts.ooAtothisostage,otoomaintainotheotransparencyoand fairnessoasowelloasotooprovideoequaloplainofieldotooallotheocandidates,othe CommissionosoughtoexpertoadviseofromotheoIndianoStatisticaloInstitute,oNew Delhioandofinallyoadoptedonormalizationoprocedureobasedoonopercentileomethod to o calculate o the o final o marks o of o candidates o in o multi o shift o examination. However,oatothisostageoitotranspiredotootheoCommissionoinadvertentlyoitodidonot specifiedotheosocio-economicomarksowhichowereotoobeoaddedoinotheowritten examinationomarksoandoitoagainoapproachedoIndianoStatisticaloInstitute,owho guidedotheorespondent-Commissionotooaddotheosocio-economicocriteriaotoothe percentileomarksoalreadyoobtainedobyotheocandidates.o oThough,odissatisfied withothisoprocedureonumerousorepresentationsowereobeingoreceivedofromothe candidatesoandoafterodeclarationoofotheoresultoofoFemaleoConstableo(GD),othe IndianoStatisticaloInstituteorecommendedoequi-percentileomethod,owhichowas appliedoinotheoform,oasoreproduced,ohereinbelow,ohavingoreferenceofrom AnnexureoR-3/4: "NormalisationoofoMarksoinoCompetetiveoExaminationsofor Recruitmento AddendumotootheoReportosentoinoSeptemberoandosubsequent communicationoinoFebruaryo AbhayoG.oBhatto IndianoStatisticaloInstitute,oDelhioCentreo Marcho03,o2022o TheoearlieroreportosubmittedoinoSeptembero2021owasowith CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o.-- the understanding that the recruitment process for the advertised posts is based on a single examination. In December, when asked about incorporating the normalisation in further stages of the recruitment process, the first suggestion was to use the same normalised score marks for all stages of recruitment. This was also categorically borne out by a recent supreme court judgement. It was pointed out to me that the suggested normalised score when added to the socio-economic marks gave rise to anomalies. e.g. Toppers in the written examination shifts but having very little or zero socio-economic marks failed to clear the final cut-off. The following modification is suggested which would mitigate such an anomaly. The modified transformation is still based on percentiles. This note is to further clarify the modification which was suggested through a communication in February. Continuin owitho"or2a,isationoinotheo2ndosta eo

¶1If the entire recruitment process is based only on a single exam, then the normalised score can be taken to be the percentile.

¶2Using the same 'normalised score' for all stages is always recommended. However, in the current situation, it seems to have given rise to several anomalies. As such, the following modification is suggested. The normalised score should still be based on percentiles.

¶3As prescribed earlier, for each candidate, the shift-wise percentiles can be found out. Once this is done, all the data across shifts should be combined. However, the percentiles are only an intermediate step in this case.

¶4The percentiles are pulled back onto a presumptive scale of marks. This can be chosen in many ways, but will be a fixed scale -i.e. same for all the candidates. Hence comparison of marks CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o./-

¶5Any such pull-back of the percentiles onto some presumptive scale is termed as equi-percentile method.?

¶6As the term equi-percentile suggests, any two candidates with the same percentile, irrespective of the shift in which they wrote the examination, will have the same normalised score. Moreover, between any two candidates, the one with higher percentile will also have a higher normalised score.

¶7The result of the pull-back would be the normalised score. These normalised score, which are assigned to each candidate, would be in a scale similar to the original one, though not exactly the same. Thus these normalised scores can be used at all future stages of the recruitment process. Note that this normalised score is completely compatible with the percentiles. i.e. The rank for each and every candidate based on this normalised score will be exactly the same as the one based on percentiles. Hence any shortlisting done earlier based on percentiles alone, will be completely valid even with this new normalised score. Possib,eo7hoi7esoforotheopresu2ptiveos7a,eo The term presumptive scale of marks indicates an array of numbers to which the percentiles would be pulled back. For example, in the uniform scale, if the array consists of 2000 numbers then all of them would be equidistant. While for the normal scale, the plot of the numbers in the array would show an inverted bell shaped curve - which indicates that there are fewer numbers at the top and bottom and many more near the mean or the centre. While there is some level of arbitrariness involved in the choice of the scale, the purpose is to choose one which would be close to the actual distribution of marks in the written examination. Here some possible choices for the presumptive scale are CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o.3- • One of the shifts is chosen randomly. The entire array of actual raw marks from that shift would be the presumptive scale. • For each shift, find the mean of the raw marks. Choose the shift with the maximum mean. The raw marks in this shift may be chosen as the presumptive scale. • Choose the shift in which maximum number of candidates appeared for the examination. The corresponding array of the actual raw arks in the shift would constitute the presumptive scale. • Combine the entire list of raw marks (across all shifts). This array would constitute the presumptive scale of marks. Note that there is no specific reason for choosing one over the other. Possibly some other scale, different from any of the above, may also be chosen. Convertin oper7enti,esointoonor2a,isedos7oreo Once the choice of the presumptive scale has been made (and fixed), the normalised scores can be found in the following manner. The following steps depend on only two inputs: • The percentile score of the candidate, say p. Note that 0 < p ≤ 1. • The presumptive scale, say ARRAY. and hence can be calculated separately for each candidate

¶1For the presumptive scale ARRAY, find percentile for each entry in the array. Let the corresponding array of percentiles be called as P-ARRAY. If scores in one of the shifts is used as ARRAY, these P-ARRAY would already have been recorded.

¶2Consider the entry Y in ARRAY whose corresponding percentile in P-ARRAY is exactly equal to p, the candidate's percentile. If such a value Y exists,3 then Y is the normalised score for candidate with percenitle p. CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o10-

¶3If the percentile p does not map exactly to any value in P-ARRAY as explained above, the normalised score Y for this p is found by linear interpolation. The interpolation can be achieved as follows. • Let pi denote the percentile from P-ARRAY which is immediately below (less than) p. • Let p2 denote the percentile from P-ARRAY which is immediately above (greater than) p. • Let Y, denote the value in ARRAY corresponding to the percentile Pi from P-ARRAY. • Let Y, denote the value in ARRAY corresponding to the percentile p2 from P-ARRAY. • The normalised score Y for candidate with percenitle p is then calculated as Y=Y1 +Y2-Y1 (p-p1) ooop25p E "". :toisoa+soonotoopenotootheocandidates5petitionersotoosa.othatothe chan(edo'ethodo)asonotoinfor'edo1.otheorespondent5Co''ission,oasothereois noodisputeodurin(otheocourseoofohearin(otootheopu1+iconoticeodatedo2 .0&.202 video)hichotheoinfor'ationo9uaotheoAe'a+eoConsta1+eo)asoprovidedoandoinothe caseoofoMa+eoConsta1+es,oaopu1+iconoticeodatedo25. 0.202 o)asoissuedoi.e. 1eforeotheoconductoofo)rittenoe?a'ination,o)hichotookop+aceodurin(otheoperiod ino'u+tip+eoshiftsoi.e.o% . 0.202 oti++o02. .202 .o "5. Aurther,othisoCourtoisoa+soosan(uineoofotheofactothatotheocontention ofopetitionersotootheoeffectothato1.oadoptin(oe9ui5percenti+eo'ethod,otheova+ue ofotheoadditiona+o'arksohaso1eenoincreased,otheodifferenceoino'arksohaso1een decreasedo)hicho(aveoriseotootheova+ueoofoadditiona+o'arks,oisonotoon+. 'isp+acedo1utofa++aciousotoo.oo7heo'erito)asopreparedoonotheo1asisoofo'arks securedoinotheo)rittenoe?a'inationoando'arksounderosocioecono'icocriteria CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o41-andoonoassessmentoofotheohigheroqualification.oooTheomarksounderotheocategory socioeconomicoandohigheroqualificationo(totaloofo20omarks)ooareonotobasedoon anyocompetitiveoexamination,oratherowereoassessedoasoperotheorecordoproduced byotheocandidates.oo

¶46Inothisoway,othisoCourtoconvincinglyoagreesotootheoassertionoofothe respondent-Commissionothatoevenowithoutonormalizingotheomarksoofothe candidatesotheoadditionalomarks,owhenoaddedotootheorawomarksoorounprocessed marks,owouldodefinitelyomakeoaodifferenceoinotheomeritolist.oo

¶47Nowocomingotootheocaseolaworeliedouponobyotheopetitionersoin VishnuoViswasoandootherso(supra),oitodoesonotohaveoanyorelevancyotoothe propositionoinvolvedoinotheoinstantobunchoofopetitions,oasoinothatocaseothe principleoofo"legitimateoexpectation"ohasobeenodiscussed,oin oP.oMohanan Pillaio(supra)oandoVikasoSharmao(supra)o otheoApexoCourtoheldoeligibility criteriaoandotheoprocedureoasowasoprevailingoonotheodateoofovacancyoshould ordinarilyobeofollowed.oInotheoinstantocaseothereoisoneitheroanyoviolationotoothe principleoofolegitimateoexpectationoi.e.oofoprovidingoequaloopportunityounder Articleso14oando16oofotheoConstitutionoofoIndiaonoroitoisoaocaseoofodiverting fromotheoeligibilityocriteriaoorotheoprocedureohasobeenodisturbed,oratherothe sameohasobeenofollowedoinotheowholeoprocessoasowasoadvertisedoatotheotimeoof invitingoapplicationsoinotheoadvertisementoNo.04/2020o(AnnexureoP-1).

¶48Furtherotheopetitionersohaveomadeoaovaliantoattemptotooargueoon theostrengthoofoAnmoloTiwarioandoothero(supra),oNidhioKaimo(supra)oand RamjitoSinghoKardamoandootherso(supra)o butoallotheseojudgmentsoofothe SupremeoCourtodealowithoaosituationowhere omala-fideoexerciseoofostatutory CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o42-

¶49Onotheootherohandotoocounterotheoafore-saidocaseolaw,oMs.oShruti JainoputorelianceoonoaorecentojudgmentoofotheoSupremeoCourtorenderedoinothe caseoofo"StateoofoUttaroPradeshoandoothersovs.oStateoofoHaryanaoandoothers" 2022o(1)oSCTo417o(toobeochecked)owhileodealingowithoanoidenticalosituation upheldotheosameoformulaoofoequi-percentile,owhichowasoalsooadoptedoinothat case,osubsequentotoobeginningoofotheoprocessoofoselectionowherein,omoreothano9 lakhsocandidatesoappliedoandoappearedoforowrittenoexamination,ophysical standardotestoandophysicaloefficiencyotest,ooheldothatotheoexerciseoundertakenoby theoBoardoinoadoptingotheoprocessoofonormalizationowasoquiteoconsistentoand wellowithinoitsojurisdictionohavingonooallegationoofomala-fideooroabsenceoof bona-fideoatoanyojunctureoofotheoprocess.oo

¶50Itoisoinofactonotoaochangeoinotheocriteriaotoobeoadoptedoforoselection i.e.ostilloasoperotheoadvertisementoNo.04/2020o(AnnexureoP-1)obyowayoof writtenoexamination,osocio-economicocriteriaoandohigheroqualificationocriteria butoisoactuallyotheoprocessoofoevaluationoafterogivingoequaloplaying-fieldoruling outotheodifficultyolevelsoinovariousoshiftsoofotheoquestionopapersobefore preparingotheorankingoandoselectionolist.ooTheseoareotechnicalomattersoinothe academicofield,owhichoshouldonotobeointerferedowithobyotheoCourtounlessothere isoviolationoofoanyolaw,omala-fideooroarbitrarinessotoowhichotheopetitionersohave failedotooestablishoandotheoApexoCourtoinoclearotermsohasoheldoonotheosameolines inoSanchitoBansaloandoanotherovs.oJointoadmissionoBoard;o2012o(1)oSCC

157.

¶51ThisoCourtohavingomadeoexhaustiveoconsiderationoafterotestingothe submissionsoofobothosidesoinotheolightoofotermsoandoconditionsoparticularly keepingoinomindotheoprocessoandocriteria,oofoselectionowouldoconclusively CWP-25505-2021(O&M)oandootheroconnectedopetitions oooo-o43-recordohereothatotheoequi-percentileoformulaoisoquiteoaccurateoasoadoptedoby respondent-Commissionowhichohadootherwiseoalsoowideoacceptanceoalloover theoresultowhereoanyoadditionalomarksoareotoobeoaddedotootheowrittenomarks, whichoalsooadoptedobyotheoUPSC,oandoinotheoexaminationoofoGATEoasowelloas NEET-PG.ooInocaseoforotheosakeoofoargumentothisoformulaoisodiscardedothen resultsoofoallotheseoexaminationowouldobeoliableotoobeodeclaredoinvalidoas normalizationoisoadoptedoinotheseoexaminationoasowellobetweenodifferent subjectsotooreachoaocommonoequi-percentileoscore.o

¶52I,otherefore,odisagreeowithotheocontentionsoofotheopetitioners havingofoundoforceoinotheostanceotakenobyotheorespondent-Commission,ouphold the o selection o in o question o ando the oformulao adopted o by o the o respondent-Commission.

¶53Resultantly,otheowritopetitionsofail,ohence,oareoorderedotoobe dismissed,ohavingonoomerit.

¶54Pendingomiscellaneousoapplication,oifoanyoshallostandsodisposed of.

¶54Aocopyoofothisoorderobeoplacedoonotheofileoofoconnectedocases. (SANDEEPoMOUDGIL) th11 oAUGUST,o2023 oooooooo oooooJUDGE Sham Whetherospeaking/reasoned Yes/No Whetheroreportable Yes/No