Populist move: Supreme Court bins Haryana’s plea against quashing of extra marks policy

New Delhi, June 24

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld a Punjab and Haryana High Court order quashing the Haryana Government’s policy of granting additional marks to its residents in recruitment exams.

Terming the policy a “populist measure”, a Vacation Bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Rajesh Bindal refused to interfere with the high court order, which had held as unconstitutional the socioeconomic criteria prescribed by the Haryana Government to grant additional marks to certain classes of candidates in state government jobs.

“After perusing the impugned judgment, we find absolutely no error in it. The special leave petitions are dismissed,” the Bench said. As the hearing commenced, the apex court expressed disinclination to entertain the case and said, “Meritorious candidate after his performance gets 60 marks, somebody else has also got 60 marks, but only because (of) five grace marks he goes up. They are all populist measures. How do you defend such an action that somebody is getting five marks extra?”

Says can’t justify it

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• Punjab & Haryana HC held grant of extra marks to Haryana residents in job exams as unconstitutional
• Haryana challenged order, which has been upheld by SC saying govt can’t defend such populist policy

Justifying the policy, Attorney General R Venkataramani said the Haryana Government introduced the grace marks policy to give opportunities to those who were deprived of the security of public employment.

The top court, however, junked the appeal. It was hearing an appeal filed by the Haryana Staff Selection Commission against the high court’s May 31 order wherein it struck down the state’s policy of granting 5 per cent bonus marks on the socioeconomic status of the candidate, who is a state resident, to the total percentage of marks in the CET for groups C and D posts.