HC orders HPSC to pay ₹1.5 lakh cost for rejecting a woman’s candidature
The plea was from one Divya Kalia, who had qualified in the written exam but before her interview, she was communicated that her candidature is rejected for submitting her SC certificate without registration number and the date.
The Punjab and Haryana high court has imposed a cost of ₹1.5 lakh on Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) for wrongly rejecting candidature of a woman for HCS (judicial branch)- 2023-24.
The plea was from one Divya Kalia, who had qualified in the written exam but before her interview, she was communicated that her candidature is rejected for submitting her SC certificate without registration number and the date. It was also claimed that domicile certificate was also not submitted.
This was communicated to her by HPSC in September 2024 and it was upon HC intervention, she was called for interview.
“The present case is an unsoothing illustration of how litigations are pursued on behalf of the state in a totally mechanical and indifferent fashion. The proceedings reveal a lack of due diligence, reflective of an apathetic approach that undermines the principle of responsible governance and judicial propriety,” the bench recorded.
It found that her caste certificate of 2016 reflects that registration number, and the date is mentioned on the bottom left not on the top left. It is a “trivial error” and same can’t be attributed to the petitioner as it has been done by the competent authority, who issued the certificate and later also verified genuineness of the certificate. The domicile certificate was also uploaded by her, it said adding that the state must exercise due diligence in distinguishing between “baseless and a legitimate claim”.
While imposing cost it said, “the courts are choked with litigation. Frivolous and groundless disputes constitute a serious menace to the administration of justice.”
“They consume time and clog the overburdened infrastructure, productive resources which should be deployed in handling of genuine causes are dissipated in pursuing worthless causes,” it said asking HPSC to take consequential steps with regard to her appointment and further directed to pay ₹50,000 to the woman and ₹1 lakh to Poor Patients Welfare Society Fund, PGIMER within two weeks for having wasted court’s time which could have been utilised for hearing and deciding “pressing matters”. HPSC has been given the liberty to recover the cost from erring officials and a compliance report has been sought by May 5.