IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
Shivaji Pandey, Partha Sarthy, JJ.
The Bihar Public Service Commission through its Chairman - Appellant
Versus
Ashish Kumar Pathak, S/o Baidyanath Pathak & Ors. - Respondent
Letters Patent Appeal No.642 of 2019 In Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No.3670 of 2019
with
Letters Patent Appeal No. 638 of 2019 In Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No.4663 of 2019
with
Letters Patent Appeal No. 649 of 2019 In Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No.2654 of 2019
with
Letters Patent Appeal No. 750 of 2019 In Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No.5100 of 2019
with
Letters Patent Appeal No. 751 of 2019 In Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No.3457 of 2019
Decided On : 05-01-2021
Service Law – Appointment – Interference by Single in report of expert committee and giving direction for constitution of fresh expert committee to revisit answer-sheet and consequential direction is outside realm of judicial review – Sympathy or compassion does not play any role in matter of directing or not directing revaluation of answer-sheet – If an error is committed by examination authority, complete body of candidates suffers – Entire examination process does not deserve to be derailed only because some candidates are disappointed or dissatisfied or perceive some injustice having been caused to them by an erroneous question or an erroneous answer – All candidates suffer equally, though some might suffer more but that cannot be helped since mathematical precision is not always possible – If there is a rule providing and prescribing for re-evaluation or scrutiny of answer sheet, in such circumstance, a candidate may claim for re-evaluation or scrutiny of answer-sheet and authority conducting examination may permit it – If statute or rule and regulations is silent for re-evaluation or scrutiny of answer sheet, in such circumstance, Court may permit re-evaluation or scrutiny of answer sheet if it is demonstrated that material error has been committed but, this exercise should not be done by applying an inferential process of reasoning or by class of rationalization and only in rare and exceptional cases – However, Court should not act at all to re-evaluate or scrutinize answer sheet of a candidate as it has no expertise in academic matters and academic matters are best left to academics and Court cannot enter into domain of academician as if acting as an appellate body over opinion of experts – Answer should be assumed to be correct unless it is proved to be wrong – If there is doubt, benefit should go to examining body – In an exceptional circumstances, Court would interfere with matter when on face of it, wrong is reflected – Impugned Judgment and order set aside and Commission directed to proceed further and declare result of mains examination. (Paras 50, 53, 60 and 62)
(2018) 2 SCC 357; (1984) 4 SCC 27; 2018(7) SCC 254; (2018) 8 SCC 81; (2020) 6 SCC 362; (2010) 6 SCC 759 – Relied.
2016 SCC Online Pat. 260 ; 2019 (2) PLJR (SC) 114; Order dated 29.01.2019 passed in L.P.A. No.1522 of 2019 (Kunal Vs. The State of Bihar and Ors. ; Order dated 11.07.2019 passed in L.P.A. No. 798 of 2019 (Prakash Chandra Vs. The State of Bihar and Ors.); (2020) 6 SCC 362; (2005) 13 SCC 74; (2004) 6 SCC 714; (2004) 13 SCC 383; (2014) 14 SCC 523; (2005) 13 SCC 749 – Referred.
(1983) 4 SCC 309; (2013) 4 SCC 690; (2013) 8 SCC 83 – Discussed.
2017(4) SCC 357 – Distinguished.
JUDGMENT :
SHIVAJI PANDEY, J.
Heard learned counsel appearing for the respective parties.
2. In the present appeals, the appellants are challenging the judgment and order dated 26.03.2019 passed in C.W.J.C. No.3670 of 2019 (Ashish Kumar Pathak and Ors. vs. The State of Bihar and Ors.) and other analogous cases, whereby and whereunder the learned Singled Judge has interfered with the report of the expert committee holding that the answers given by the expert committee with respect to four questions are incorrect and directed the Bihar Public Service Commission to constitute an expert body of members, who were not part of the erstwhile committee, to revisit the four abovementioned questions and if it is found that the answers provided by the Commission to the aforesaid four questions are incorrect, the petitioners do deserve to participate in the selection process by writing the mains examination. It has also been directed for holding of special examination in the event of their success even if it entails an additional cost, energy and time of the Commission by placing reliance on the judgment of this Court rendered in the case of Ravindra Kumar Singh v. High Court of Judicature of Patna (2016 SCC Online Pat. 260).
3. The precise facts of this case are that in the year 2017 an advertisement no.02 of 2017 was published by the Bihar Public Service Commission for selection and appointment on the post of Assistant Engineers (Civil). Altogether, 28,874 applications were received. The Preliminary Test was held on th September, 2018, in which total 17,865 candidates appeared. After completion of examination, the question papers and model answers commonly known as “Key Answers” of the concerned subjects was published by the Commission in its website. Altogether, 1267 objections were received from the candidates raising objections pertaining to framing of wrong questions, wrong answers in the model answer-sheet or having more than one answer of a question. The questions were in four sets i.e. ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ and ‘D’. Apart from other objections, Md. Juned Alam, petitioner no.7 of C.W.J.C. No.3670 of 2019, raised objection with respect to answer of four questions i.e. questions no. 62, 84, 100 and 123 of Question Booklet Series “B”; Vishwajeet, petitioner of C.W.J.C. No.4663 of 2019 raised objections with respect to answer of two questions i.e. question no.65 and 104 of Question Booklet Series “D”; Ram Dutta Bharti, petitioner of C.W.J.C. No. 2654 of 2019 raised objection with respect to answer of one question i.e. question no.123 of Question Booklet Series “B” but, Sumit Kumar, petitioner of C.W.J.C. No.5100 of 2019 and Vikash Gaurav, petitioner of C.W.J.C. No.3457 of 2019 did not file any objection with regard to model answers.
4. After receiving the objections, the Commission constituted a committee of experts to examine the said objections. Altogether, answers of 15 questions were found to be wrong but, these four answers were not within that 15 answers. There were five members in the expert committee, they all were either from I.I.T., Patna, N.I.T., Patna or from B.I.T., Patna, which are reputed institutions and having not made any allegation of prejudice or biasness on the part of the experts. The full members of the Commission after receiving the report of the expert committee, applied their mind and thereafter the result of preliminary test was published. Since, the original petitioners-respondents failed to obtain the minimum cut-off marks in their respective groups, did not qualify in the Preliminary Test, led to filing of the writ petitions. The learned Single Judge made reference to the text-books of the concerned subjects relied upon by the original petitioners-respondents and arrived to a finding that the original petitioners-respondents have demonstrably proved the errors committed by the setters in giving answers to the aforesaid four questions, even the committee of experts also committed error in not correct
Ran Vijay Singh and Ors. vs. The State of Uttar Pradesh and Ors. reported in (2018) 2 SCC 357
Ranvijay Singh and Ors. vs. State of Uttar Pradesh and Ors.
U.P. Public Service Commission vs. Rahul Singh
Ashok Kumar and Ors. vs. The State of Bihar and Ors. reported in 2017(4) SCC 357
High Court of Tripura vs. Tirtha Sarathi Mukharjee and Ors. reported in 2019 (2) PLJR (SC) 114
Rajesh Kumar and Ors. vs. State of Bihar and Ors. reported in (2013) 4 SCC 690
Richal v. Rajasthan Public Service Commission
Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission v. Mukesh Thakur reported in (2010) 6 SCC 759
Pramod Kumar Srivastava v. Chairman
Board of Secondary Education vs. Pravas Ranjan Panda reported in (2004) 13 SCC 383
C.B.S.E v. Khusboo Shrivastav reported (2014) 14 SCC 523
Guru Nank Dev University vs. Saumil Garg and others
Ran Vijay Singh & Ors. Vs. State of Uttar Pradesh & Ors. (2018) 2 SCC 357
U.P.P.S.C. through its Chairman & Anr. Vs. Rahul Singh & Anr. reported in (2018) 2 SCC 357
Judicial review in matters of academic evaluation is limited, and courts should defer to expert opinions unless there are specific provisions allowing for re-evaluation.
Point of Law : Practice of calling for answer scripts/answer sheets and thereafter to order re-evaluation and that too in absence of any specific provision in relevant rules for re-evaluation and tha....
The court reaffirmed that examination key answers should be presumed correct unless explicit evidence shows otherwise, emphasizing judicial restraint in academic matters.
Judicial review of expert committee decisions in academic matters is limited; courts cannot interfere unless findings are proven wrong beyond reasonable doubt.
The scope of interference by the Court in the decisions of expert examining bodies in the field of education or public employment is necessarily limited, and the Court should be very slow in interfer....
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