High Court allows HPSC’s appeal in selection process of Ayurvedic Medical Officers

A Double Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court allowed an appeal by the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC), ruling that candidates for Ayurvedic Medical Officer (AMO) posts were not entitled to any relief based on category certificates submitted after the specified deadline.

The court set aside an earlier single Bench order dated February 15, vide which the Bench ruled in favour of several writ petitioners, directing the HPSC to accept their reservation certificates BC(A), BC(B), and EWS) even though they were submitted after the application deadline.

The commission in the appeal said that on June 21, 2024, it had invited applications for appointment to 805 posts of Ayurvedic Medical Officers (Group B) in the Health and Ayush Department, Haryana. The advertisement contained various details required from the candidates, as well as the prescribed qualifications, and specified the date for commencement of submission of online applications as June 22, 2024, with the closing date being July 12 , 2024, at 5 pm.”

Many applicants, who are claiming reservation under BC(A) and BC(B) categories, had not appended their certificates before the last date of form submission.

The Commission, therefore, did not treat the applications of the petitioners as valid, however, before rejecting the same, issued a notice on December 26, 2024.

They then approached the high court by filing writ petitions, wherein, interim orders were issued permitting the petitioners to appear in the interview. A single judge allowed the claim of the writ petitioners holding them eligible in terms of the advertisement as well as the office memorandum issued by the state government on March 23, 2022.

The writ petitioners, before the single judge, argued that the certificate required to be submitted by a candidate was only a document evidencing proof of eligibility, and not the eligibility itself.

After hearing the arguments, the Double Bench of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor ruled that: “On a careful analysis of the applicable principles of law and its applicability in the facts of these LPAs, we are of the view that the respondents-writ petitioners were not entitled to any relief in the matter as they have not furnished the proof of their eligibility/made amends in their application, by the cut-off date. Therefore, the contrary view taken by the single Bench in the writ petitions, in such circumstances, cannot be sustained. Accordingly, the LPAs stand allowed. Order dated February 15, 2025, passed by the single Bench in a bunch of writ petitions is set aside. The writ petitions filed by the respondents are consequently dismissed.”

The court further said that one must bear in mind that, given the peculiar facts and circumstances and the large number of applicants involved, some finality must be provided. Otherwise, some candidate or the other would claim additional relaxations, making it a never-ending process, which would lead to administrative chaos.