Aspirants clearing pvt exams eligible for govt jobs: Madras HC
The bench pointed out that the government order issued in 2021 protected aspirants from Tamil medium, even if some exams were cleared as private candidates, provided that the exam was validated by a competent authority.
Madras High Court (File)
CHENNAI: Holding that the certificate obtained through private examination was a valid document to appear for Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) examinations, the Madras High Court rejected the order of the commission withholding verification of a candidate who applied under special reservation.
The TNPSC’s contention that the candidates who studied under Tamil medium privately were not eligible under the Persons Studied under Tamil Medium (PSTM) reservation was unsustainable, held a division bench of Justice D Krishna Kumar and Justice PB Balaji.
The bench pointed out that the government order issued in 2021 protected aspirants from Tamil medium, even if some exams were cleared as private candidates, provided that the exam was validated by a competent authority.
The candidate, C Dineshkumar, appeared for the TNPSC examination for the Group 2 service post under the PSTM category and secured the top score. However, contending that he passed Class 10 through private examination, the commission withheld his application. It stated that he could not be considered under the category, even though the certificate was issued by the joint director, Directorate of Government Examinations (DGE).
When he moved the High Court, a single judge directed it to consider him under the PSTM category, against which the commission appealed.
Appearing for the commission, senior counsel P Wilson said the candidate could not be considered under the PSTM category because he produced a certificate mentioning only the successful completion of the written exam in Tamil but failed to specify the medium of instruction.
As per the notification for the Group 2 examination, the candidate was not entitled to any relief, he said, and sought to set aside the single judge order.
However, the bench said the overall circumstances of the candidate's education demonstrated consistent Tamil-medium instruction. Hence, he was entitled to PSTM quota, it said, and rejected the commission’s contentions.