Dehradun: The Uttarakhand High Court on Wednesday asked the Uttarakhand Public Service Commission (UKPSC) to release the results of the sugarcane supervisor recruitment, ruling that the commission must follow the employer’s decision on eligibility criteria, reports The Times of India.
A division bench of Chief Justice G. Narendar and Justice Subhash Upadhyay set aside an earlier single bench order, granting relief to candidates who had cleared the 2023 examination for 78 posts.
The case dates back to vacancies advertised by UKPSC in 2022. Although the state’s Sugarcane and Sugar Commissioner clarified an ambiguity over the required educational qualifications, the commission cancelled the recruitment in November 2023. This led successful candidates to approach the High Court.
A single bench had earlier upheld the commission’s decision, refusing to grant any relief. However, the division bench overturned that ruling and instructed UKPSC to declare the results “without delay.”
The petitioners, including Manali Chaudhary and three others, were initially selected and called for document verification but were later deemed ineligible because they held a three-year diploma in agricultural engineering instead of a two-year diploma in agriculture.
UKPSC had sought clarification from the employer on the discrepancy. While the service rules mention a two-year diploma, the employer stated that the Uttarakhand Technical Education Board offers a three-year diploma in agricultural engineering, which is equivalent and legally valid.
UKPSC’s counsel contended that the commission had to follow the service rules and that “selection alone does not guarantee appointment,” adding that the single judge had rightly dismissed the petition.
After hearing both sides, the division bench ruled that the earlier judgment could not stand. It observed that the authority to decide qualifications rests with the employer and that the recruiting agency must abide by that decision. Since the employer had confirmed that the three-year diploma is equivalent to the two-year diploma, the court held that UKPSC was bound to accept it and declare the results accordingly.
