LI Network
Published on: January 3, 2024 at 00:02 IST
The Supreme Court granted relief to an aspiring Police Constable whose candidature was initially canceled due to an unintentional error in stating his date of birth.
The Court directed authorities to recognize the applicant as having successfully passed the selection process based on his Class 10th certificate’s birth date.
Justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan remarked that the cancellation was unjustified, considering the error as insignificant.
The Court instructed authorities to treat the applicant’s case as valid and issue an appointment letter if no vacancies existed. Emphasizing the unique circumstances, the Court highlighted the applicant’s background as belonging to a marginalized community and fulfilling eligibility criteria despite the error.
The case revolved around the applicant mistakenly providing a different date of birth in the online application compared to the one in his school mark sheet. Despite filing representations and approaching the High Court, relief was denied on the basis of the discrepancy and failure to seek result annulment.
The Supreme Court, however, considered the inadvertent nature of the error and cited previous judgments to emphasize that candidatures should not be annulled for trivial mistakes. The Court found the error to be minor and unrelated to the final outcome, rejecting the argument that it constituted deliberate misinformation.
Regarding the signed printed form carrying the erroneous date, the Court accepted the applicant’s explanation that he was unaware of the mistake while signing it. Additionally, the Court highlighted the applicant’s plea seeking consideration of his date of birth and an appointment letter, countering the High Court’s observation about not challenging the result declaration.
The Court set aside the High Court’s judgment, affirming the Writ Court’s authority to ensure justice despite technicalities.
