Hon’ble Dr. Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud, C.J.—This reference to the Full Bench has been occasioned by a referring order dated 2 April 2015.

2. The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (Commission) issued an advertisement on 24 April 2014 notifying the Combined State/Upper Subordinate Services Examination 2014. The petitioner participated in the preliminary written examination on 3 August 2014. Candidates who had qualified in the preliminary written examination were required to submit an online application for appearing at the main written examination. An advertisement was issued on 4 October 2014 by the Commission notifying that the candidates who had been declared successful in the preliminary examination should visit the website of the Commission for obtaining information in regard to the process to be followed for appearing at the main examination. The four stages with a time schedule indicated in the advertisement were as follows:

3. On 27 October 2014, the Commission issued a further advertisement stating that the main examination would be conducted between 5 November 2014 and 21 November 2014 in the districts of Allahabad and Lucknow. All the candidates were informed that they were being granted provisional permission to appear at the main examination subject to the condition that they had completed the process for fulfilling all the aforesaid four stages within the stipulated time and if it was found upon scrutiny that any candidate had failed to complete any of the four stages in time, his candidature was liable to be rejected. We are extracting hereinbelow the relevant part of the advertisement dated 27 October 2014:

^^mDr ijh{kk ls lEcfU/kr vH;fFkZ;ksa dks ,rn~}kjk lwfpr fd;k tkrk gS fd mUgsa eq[; ijh{kk esa bl 'krZ ds lkFk vkSicfU/kd :i ls lfEefyr gksus dh vuqefr iznku dh tk jgh gS fd muds }kjk fu/kkZfjr frfFk rd vkosnu i= tek djus dh pkjks pj.k dh izfdz;k iw.kZ dj yh x;h gS ;fn lfUujh{kksijkUr ;g ik;k tkrk gS fd mUgksaus fu/kkZfjr frfFk rd vkosnu i= tek fd;s tkus fo"k;d pkjks pj.kksa dh izfdz;k iw.kZ ugha dh gS rks mudk vH;FkZu fujLr dj fn;k tk;sxkA**

4. The brochure which was issued by the Commission to the candidates similarly provided as follows:

^^vko';d uksV%& vH;fFkZ;ksa dks ,rn~}kjk lwfpr fd;k tkrk gS fd mUgsa eq[; ijh{kk esa bl 'krZ ds lkFk vkSicfU/kd :i ls lfEefyr gksus dh vuqefr iznku dh tk jgh gS fd muds }kjk fu/kkZfjr frfFk rd vkosnu i= tek djus dh pkjks pj.k dh izfdz;k iw.kZ dj yh xbZ gS ;fn lfUujh{kksijkUr ;g ik;k tkrk gS fd mUgksaus fu/kkZfjr frfFk rd vkosnu i= tek fd;s tkus fo"k;d pkjks pj.kksa dh izfdz;k iw.kZ ugha dh gS rks mudk vH;FkZu fujLr dj fn;k tk;sxkA**

5. Under the notice dated 27 October 2014 and the conditions stipulated in the brochure all the candidates were placed on notice that they were being permitted to appear at the main written examination subject to the condition that the candidate should have completed all the four stages of the process failing which the candidature of the candidate would be cancell