Jaipur, May 22: In a major development affecting one of Rajasthan’s largest ongoing recruitment drives, the Rajasthan High Court has cancelled several merit lists issued under the state’s Class IV Employee Recruitment-2024 process, holding that recruitment to government posts cannot be made without fixing a minimum qualifying standard.
The ruling came during the hearing of a petition filed by Vinod Kumar before the bench of Justice Anand Sharma.
The court directed the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board (RSSB) to determine minimum qualifying marks and prepare fresh merit lists for categories where the cut-off marks had fallen to zero or near-zero levels.
Court Says “Basic Standard” Necessary for Government Recruitment
The High Court observed that even for Class IV government posts, selection cannot be made without ensuring a basic level of merit and competence among candidates.
The court stated that appointments made without fixing minimum qualifying marks would violate constitutional principles governing fair public recruitment.
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Justice Anand Sharma reportedly remarked that the absence of any benchmark or basic standard in a government recruitment examination could not be justified merely because vacancies remained unfilled in certain reserved categories.
Petition Challenged Selection at Near-Zero Cut-Off Marks
The controversy arose after several categories in the Class IV recruitment examination recorded extremely low cut-off marks, with some selections reportedly made at scores as low as 0.0033 marks.
Counsel representing petitioner Vinod Kumar argued before the court that:
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- The recruitment advertisement and service rules did not prescribe any minimum qualifying marks.
- Hundreds of vacancies remained vacant due to shortage of eligible candidates in reserved categories.
- Candidates securing extremely low or zero-like marks were shortlisted, while candidates with negative scores were excluded.
The petitioner, who had applied under the OBC Ex-Serviceman category, reportedly secured negative marks in the examination.
His counsel argued that there was little practical difference between candidates selected with almost zero marks and those with marginally negative scores.
The petition contended that if candidates with negligible scores could be considered eligible, then excluding candidates with negative marks appeared arbitrary, particularly when vacancies remained unfilled.
RSSB and Personnel Department Defend Process
During the hearing, the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board and the state Personnel Department defended the selection process, arguing that existing service rules for Class IV recruitment did not contain any legal provision requiring minimum qualifying marks.
Officials stated that selections were therefore made strictly within the framework of existing rules.
The board further argued that although candidates with near-zero marks could legally be shortlisted, candidates securing negative marks fell within an “extremely weak category” and therefore could not be selected.
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However, the High Court reportedly rejected this argument, observing that the absence of any defined minimum benchmark itself rendered the process flawed.
Merit Lists of Multiple Categories Cancelled
Following the court’s order, merit lists of several categories where cut-offs were zero or near-zero have now been cancelled.
Non-TSP Area Categories Affected
The cancelled merit lists reportedly include:
- General (Ex-Serviceman) – 0.0033
- SC Widow – 0.0033
- ST Widow – 0.0033
- General EWS Widow – 0.2585
- OBC Widow – 0.0033
- MBC Widow – 0.0033
- Sahariya categories (General, Female, Widow, Divorcee) – near-zero cut-offs
- Most Divyang (PwD) categories except LD/CP
TSP Area Categories Affected
The order also impacts:
- SC Widow – 0.2731
- ST Widow – 0.0033
- Most Divyang categories except LD/CP
RSSB Directed to Prepare Fresh Merit Lists
The High Court has now directed RSSB to first determine a minimum qualifying standard for the recruitment process.
Only after fixing the minimum cut-off marks can the board issue revised merit lists for the affected categories.
The ruling is expected to impact thousands of candidates associated with the recruitment drive and may lead to delays in the appointment process.
Recruitment Process Under Fresh Scrutiny
The judgment has reignited debate over recruitment standards, reservation policies, and vacancy management in large-scale government recruitment drives across Rajasthan.
Legal experts believe the ruling could set an important precedent for future recruitment examinations by emphasizing that minimum merit standards cannot be ignored even when reserved vacancies remain vacant.
The decision is also likely to trigger administrative review within the Rajasthan government regarding drafting of recruitment rules and examination guidelines.