The Madhya Pradesh High Court issued stay the recruitment of civil judges based on the 2022 examination results. The decision temporarily suspends the hiring process, pending further review. The court’s intervention raises questions about the examination’s integrity and fairness.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court issued a notable directive, pausing the ongoing recruitment process for the civil judges entry-level examination scheduled for 2022. This decision came into effect on Thursday, as the court ordered both the Registrar and the Registrar Examination Division of the High Court to stay further proceedings regarding this recruitment drive.
The directive a part of a division bench’s ruling, led by Acting Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice AN Kesharwani.
The Court’s directive called for a comprehensive re-evaluation of the candidates who declared successful in the preliminary examination held on January 14, 2024. The court mandated the exclusion of any candidates who do not meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the Amended Recruitment Rules.
Furthermore, the court ordered the recalculation of the cut-off marks based on a 1:10 ratio, as specified in Clause 72 of Advertisement No.113/Examination/CJ/2022 dated November 17, 2022. This ruling aims to ensure the integrity and fairness of the recruitment process for the civil judges entry-level examination.
Subsequently, new call letters will be issued to candidates who meet or exceed the newly established cut-off scores under the Amended Recruitment Rules. These candidates will be invited to take part in the Main Examination. According to the court’s order, a new Main Examination will be held exclusively for these eligible candidates.
Furthermore, to ensure fairness and compliance with the eligibility criteria, any candidates who participated in the Main Examination but are deemed ineligible will be excluded from the results. This decision comes in the wake of a revision petition that prompted the reversal of a previous court order dated May 7.
The revision petition filed by two aspirants challenging the court order from May 7. They argued that the High Court previously upheld the eligibility criteria requiring a minimum of 70 percent marks in LLB without ATKT (Allowed To Keep Terms) or, alternatively, three years of experience at the Bar, as specified in the advertisement dated November 17, 2023.
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The petitioners’ lawyer, Atul Chaudhari, emphasized that the preliminary examination list should be re-evaluated with new cut-off marks, excluding those who do not meet the criteria for the main examination.
This judicial action highlights a commitment to ensuring transparency and fairness in recruitment processes, strictly adhering to established eligibility standards. It also highlights the judiciary’s role in supervising public recruitment to uphold integrity and meritocracy.