The court held that the Directorate of Government Examinations cannot issue PSTM Certificates since it does not conduct relevant courses, emphasizing respect for existing judicial decisions.

JUDGMENT :

S.M.SUBRAMANIAM, J.

The present intra-court appeals have been instituted challenging the writ orders dismissing the writ petitions filed by the appellants.

2. The grievance of the appellants is that Persons Studied in Tamil Medium (PSTM) Certificate has not been issued by the Directorate of Government Examinations for undergoing the certificate course, which resulted in denial of opportunity to the appellants, who participated in the recruitment process under the quota allotted for the persons studied in Tamil medium.

3. The respective learned counsels appearing for the appellants would mainly contend that the candidates, who undergone the course, are entitled for the certificate stating as to whether they had undergone the course in Tamil medium or in any other medium. When the appellants made applications seeking PSTM Certificate, their applications were not considered and came to be rejected by the respondents. Thus, the appellants filed the writ petitions. The learned Single Judge, by the impugned orders, dismissed the writ petitions. Aggrieved by the same, the appellants have preferred the present writ appeals.

4. Learned Standing Counsel appearing for the Teachers Recruitment Board would oppose the contentions of the appellants by stating that the issue on hand is no more res integra. The Division Bench of the Principal Seat of this Court has already elaborately considered the issue on hand and delivered a judgment dated 16.03.2020 in W.A.Nos.404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 409, 410, 412 and 413 of 2020 ( The Secretary, Department of School Education and others vs. R.Vijayalakshmi ) and therefore, the present writ appeals deserve to be dismissed.

5. Learned counsels appearing for the respective appellants relied on the interim direction issued by this Court in the present writ appeals directing the respondent – Department to furnish the particulars relating to issuance of PSTM Certificates and the reason for rejection of the appellants' applications.

6. In this context, the Director of Government Examinations filed an affidavit, dated Nil, September, 2024. The said affidavit reveals that the Directorate of Government Examinations conducted examinations for the individual private candidates only and do not run any institutions or conduct any training or coaching classes for the candidates, who applied for lower or higher grade examination. The primary function of the Directorate is only to conduct examinations. Hence, questioning the verification done for such institutions whether they are imparting such courses only in Tamil language does not arise. In the said affidavit, the Director of Government Examinations has further stated that the candidates, who possess the educational qualification as prescribed, alone are eligible to apply for lower and higher grade technical examinations. The relevant portion of the said affidavit reads as under:

“LOWER GRADE

Candidates who apply for LOWER GRADE should have passed 8^th standard (ESLC) or Equivalent Examinations in a recognized school or appeared as private candidate with English as one among the Subjects as per Tamilnadu Educational Rules.

HIGHER GRADE

Candidates who apply for HIGHER GRADE should have passed 10^th standard (SSLC) or Equivalent Examinations in a recognized school or appeared as private candidate as per Tamilnadu Educational Rules.

(Or)

Candid