J&K CCE 2023 | CAT Srinagar Orders PSC To Produce Results Of Provisionally Allowed Candidates In Sealed Cover
In a fresh development regarding the J&K Combined Competitive (Mains) Examination, 2023, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) Srinagar, comprising members Prasant Kumar (Member A) and M.S. Latif (Member J), has directed the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) to present the results of provisionally allowed candidates in a sealed cover before the court.
After hearing the counsel Mr Arif Sikander Mir for the candidates who had been allowed to appear in the the Mains exam the Tribunal directed,
“Issue notice…In the meanwhile, respondents shall produce the result of the applicants in a sealed cover before the Court on 29-07-2024. The result in sealed cover be produced before the Court through a Senior Officer of the PSC”
The case involves multiple applicants, challenging the arbitrary exclusion of their names from the list of candidates eligible for the J&K Combined Competitive (Mains) Examination, 2023. The applicants had initially qualified for the Mains through a preliminary examination held in 2023. However, a revised notification issued on November 18, 2023, dropped approximately 180 candidates, including the applicants, from the list without any explanation.
Feeling aggrieved, the applicants approached the Tribunal, which allowed them to appear in the Mains Examination provisionally as per the order dated March 5, 2024. It was explicitly stated that their results would not be declared without further instructions from the Tribunal.
Advocate Arif had argued that despite the successful completion of the Mains Examination held from March 26, 2024, to April 3, 2024, and the subsequent declaration of results on July 9, 2024, the results of the petitioners were withheld contrary to the Tribunal's directions.
The Tribunal, acknowledging the submissions, issued a notice and directed the respondents to produce the applicants' results in a sealed cover by July 29, 2024.
The Tribunal, however emphasized that the declaration of these results would not confer any preferential rights upon the applicants and their final outcome would depend on the decision of the ongoing litigation.
The matter is scheduled for the next hearing on July 29, 2024, at 11:00 AM.
Case Title: MOHD IQBAL KUMAR AND OTHERS Vs GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENT