JUDGMENT :

1. This group of petitions arises in similar back ground. The principal challenge of all the petitioners is to the ongoing recruitment process undertaken by the High Court administration for direct recruitment to the District Judges in the Rajasthan Judicial Service. The petitioners are all those candidates who had appeared in response to the advertisement issued by the High Court administration on 05.01.2021 in which in all 85 vacancies in the cadre of District Judge for direct recruitment were notified. 23 vacancies were for general category candidates out of which six were set apart for women candidates which would include one vacancy for a widow. There was bifurcation of the remaining vacancies for different reserved category candidates such as SC/ST, OBC, EWS and MBC. In each reserved category also there was sub-bifurcation in favour of women candidates.

2. As per the Rajasthan Judicial Service Rules, 2010 (hereinafter to be referred as 'the said Rules of 2010') and in particular Rule 40, the recruitment would be made on the basis of competitive examination in acc