Hon’ble Ashwani Kumar Mishra, J.—This bunch of writ petitions involve common questions of law and fact, and have been heard together. Writ Petition No. 2813 of 2017 (Ranvijay Singh and others v. Union of India and others) is treated to be the leading case. All writ petitions in this bunch are being disposed of by this common judgment.

2. Staff Selection Commission (Central Region), Allahabad published an advertisement inviting applications for appointment to the post of Constable (GD) in Assam Rifles, BSF, CISF, CRPF, ITBP and SSB, for which last date fixed to submit application was 11.1.2013. 22006 posts were advertised and examination was to consist of physical standard test/physical efficiency test, written test and medical test.

3. In the leading Writ Petition No. 2813 of 2017 (Ranvijay Singh and others v. Union of India and others), petitioner Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 26, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36 belong to Other Backward Classes, while petitioner Nos. 6, 7, 13, 17, 18, 20, 25 and 27 belong to General Category. Petitioner Nos. 11, 19, and 30 belong to Scheduled Caste and petitioner No. 24 belong to Scheduled Tribes. Petitioners duly applied for appointment pursuant to advertisement in question and their applications were entertained. Physical standard test/physical efficiency test was got conducted between February, 2013 to April, 2013 at the designated centres, on the dates specified. All the petitioners cleared the test and were found physically fit for the post. The process for selection continued further with admit cards issued to petitioners for appearing in the written test on 12.5.2013, at the centres specified. Petitioners had to carry their proof of identity as specified by the recruitment agency i.e. the Commission. All the petitioners appeared in the written examination and cleared it vide results published in November, 2013. Communication through E-mail was then received by the petitioners requiring them to appear for medical examination between December, 2013 to March, 2014, which too was cleared. Final result was declared in April, 2014, wherein all the petitioners stood provisionally selected for appointment to the post of Constable in CRPF. The final result was also revised in May, 2015, but not to the detriment of petitioners.

4. Nomination list was thereafter issued in the month of November, 2014 for the purposes of appointment of petitioners, provisionally. Although name of the petitioners were forwarded by the Commission to CRPF for appointment, but no appointment orders were issued. This apparently was for the reason that the Commission found mismatch in the signatures and handwriting of petitioners on various documents signed by them and had consequently recommended scrutiny/verification of their candidature.

5. CRPF Authorities in such circumstances issued notices to the petitioners on 5.8.2015. The communication recorded that petitioners’ dossier received from Commission carries endorsement that in different stages of examination i.e. physical standard test/physical efficiency test, written test and medical test, there is mismatch in the handwriting and signatures of the petitioners. Difference in the left thumb impression was also observed. In order to verify such facts, petitioners were required to appear at the concerned office at Allahabad and furnish their handwriting, signatures and thumb impression of left and right hand, for the purposes of its due verification by Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL). The notice further recorded that only in the event petitioners’ identity based upon their signatures and handwriting is established that appointment orders would be issued to the petitioners. The notice further provided that in case the report of Central Forensic Science Laboratory conforms the doubt expressed by the Commission, the