IN THE HIGH COURT OF GUJARAT AT AHMEDABAD
VIPUL M. PANCHOLI, HEMANT M. PRACHCHHAK, JJ.
State Of Gujarat – Appellant
Versus
Koshiya Narendrabhai Harilal – Respondent
R/LETTERS PATENT APPEAL NO. 146 of 2023 In R/SPECIAL CIVIL APPLICATION NO. 6502 of 2021 With CIVIL APPLICATION (FOR STAY) NO. 2 of 2022
Decided on : 14-03-2023
State Recruitment - Validity of Post Graduation Degree - Clause-23 of Advertisement No. 1/2021 - [Clause-23] - [Summary of the acts and sections referenced and discussed by the court]
Fact of the Case:
The appellant-State challenged the judgment allowing the petition filed by the Opponents, who were denied appointment despite producing post graduation documents as per Clause-23 of Advertisement No. 1/2021.
Finding of the Court:
The court found that the Opponents produced all relevant documents as per Clause-23, and the authority's subsequent inquiry to justify their decision was impermissible. The court held that the authority erred in not considering the post graduation degree of the Opponents and modified the order to direct the consideration of their case on merit.
Issues: Validity of the post graduation degree under Clause-23, authority's subsequent inquiry, and the direction to appoint the Opponents based on their post graduation qualification.
Ratio Decidendi: The authority's decision must be judged based on the reasons stated and cannot be supplemented by subsequent actions. The court emphasized that the Opponents' case should be considered on merit if found eligible, and the authority's subsequent inquiry to justify its decision was impermissible.
Final Decision: The appeal was partly allowed, modifying the judgment to direct the authority to treat the post graduation qualification of the Opponents as valid and consider their case on merit. The appellants were directed to complete the exercise within eight weeks.
ORDER :
VIPUL M. PANCHOLI, J.
1. This is an appeal, filed by the appellant-State under Clause 15 of the Letters Patent, challenging the common judgment and order passed by the learned Single Judge, Dated: 27.06.2022, in Special Civil Application No. 5948 of 2021 and the allied matters.
2. The factual matrix of the present case are as under;
Pursuant to the issuance of Advertisement No. 1/2021 by the appellant-State for recruitment to the post of Shiksan Sahayak in non-governmental grant-in-aid Higher Secondary Schools within the State, the opponent Nos. 1 and 2, herein, i.e. the petitioners in Special Civil Application No. 6502 of 2021, applied for the same by filling-up online form.
2.1 The qualifications of the Opponents are post graduation from Swami Vivekananda Mahavidyalaya, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajiv Gandhi College, Barkatullah University, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, respectively.
2.2 Both the opponents were called for document verification. At the time of document verification, they produced migration certificates, transfer certificates, bona fide certificates, degree certificates, NCTE recognition letters etc. to demonstrate that they had undertaken the study of M.Ed. at the concerned college/University. However, the appellant-State did not consider the same, as valid and they were denied appointment.
2.3 Being aggrieved with the same, the Opponents-original petitioners preferred the captioned petition, wherein, the learned Single Judge passed the impugned order dated 27.06.2022 and allowed the same. Hence, the appellant-State has preferred the present appeal.
3. Learned AGP, Mr. Shah, appearing for the appellant-State mainly placed reliance on Clause-23 of Advertisement No. 1/2021 and submitted that the provisions of Clause-23 would be applicable to the students, who have studied in the university, which is situated outside the State of Gujarat and who have obtained degree from such a university.
3.1 It was, further, submitted that, as per Clause- 23 of Advertisement No. 1/2021, the concerned candidate is required to submit the proof of residence. It was submitted that so far as the present Opponents are concerned, they failed to provide requisite proof of their residence and therefore, their post graduation degrees were not taken into consideration and accordingly, they were not given 5 marks, i.e. for possessing post graduation degree.
3.2 Learned AGP, Mr. Shah, submitted that in a similar type of case, where, the appellant-State has challenged the order passed by the learned Single Judge, Dated: 27.06.2022, in Special Civil Application No. 12267 of 2021, by filing Letters Patent Appeal No. 145 of 2023, the Coordinate Bench of this Court has admitted the appeal and has also granted stay against the order of the learned Single Judge vide order dated 15.02.2023. It was, therefore, submitted that the present appeal may also be admitted and the order passed by the learned Single Judge may be stayed.
3.3 Learned AGP, Mr. Shah, further, submitted that the learned Single Judge ought not to have given direction to appoint the Opponents, herein, on the post in question, considering their post graduation degree as valid. It was, therefore, urged that the order of the learned Single Judge may be modified, accordingly.
4. On the other hand, learned Sr. Advocate, Mr. Gautam Joshi, appearing with learned Advocate, Mr. Amit Joshi, for the Opponents strongly opposed this appeal and submitted that the facts of the Letters Patent Appeal No. 145 of 2023 are totally different from the facts of the present appeal.
4.1 It was submitted that in Letters Patent Appeal No. 145 of 2023, the concerned candidate did not supply any of the documents, which are mentioned in Clause-23 of Advertisement No. 1/2021 and therefore, in the peculiar facts of the said case, the Coordinate Bench of this Court has admitted the appeal and has granted stay.
4.2 It was submitted that in the case on hand, the Opponents-original petitioners have produced all the documents, i
MOHINDER SINGH GILL & ANR VS THE CHIEF ELECTION COMMISSIONER, NEW DELHI, & OTHERS’
The validity of an authority's decision must be judged based on the reasons stated and cannot be supplemented by subsequent actions.
The validity of an order must be judged by the reasons mentioned and cannot be supplemented by fresh reasons.
The court emphasized the importance of considering the grounds stated in an order and not supplementing them with fresh reasons, as well as the need to examine the validity of an order based on the r....
The main legal point established in the judgment is the obligation of the authority to consider the qualifications of candidates as per the advertisement requirements and the limitations on justifyin....
The central legal point established in the judgment is the impermissibility of justifying decisions with subsequent actions and the need for compliance with advertisement guidelines.
The validity of an order must be judged based on the reasons stated, and it is impermissible to supplement the reasons with subsequent actions or affidavits.
The main legal point established in the judgment is that the validity of an order must be judged by the reasons mentioned at the time of the order and cannot be supplemented by fresh reasons later. A....
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