JUDGMENT :

Mrs. Sunita Agarwal, J.

Heard Sri R.K. Ojha learned Senior Advocate assisted by Sri Indresh Dubey learned counsel for the petitioners and Sri Amol Ranjan holding brief of Sri M.N Singh learned counsel for respondent no.2, i.e. U.P. Public Service Commission.

2. The main challenge is to the selection made by the U.P Public Service Commission on the post of the Principals, Government Intermediate Colleges (for boys and girls). Further prayers in the writ petition are to issue direction to the Commission to republish the select list from amongst the candidates who had submitted their experience-certificate in the prescribed format and who were otherwise eligible.

3. The dispute is pertaining to the selection notified by an advertisement, i.e. Combined State/ Upper Subordinate Services(PCS) General Recruitment/Physically Handicapped-Backlog/ Special Recruitment) Examination, 2018, the last date of submission of the online application form wherein was 6.8.2018. Amongst all other posts, the post of Principals of Government Colleges (for boys or girls) were notified for selection. Eligibility qualification of which is quoted as under:-

"Principal, Government Intermediate Colleges (For Boys or Girls)

(i) A Post-graduate degree from a University established by law in India or a degree recognised by the Government as equivalent thereto.

(ii) L.T Diploma of the Department of Education, Uttar Pradesh or B.T or B.Ed. or an equivalent Degree of a University.

At least three years teaching experience in High School or Intermediate Classes or Classes higher than above from a College or University established by law in India or any such Institution recognised by the Government."

4. Clause-10 of the advertisement provides educational qualification for the notified posts in the Combined State/Upper Subordinate Services and special qualifications prescribed in the column against the said posts. The conditions of eligibility as is clear from Clause-8 of the advertisement was that the candidates must possess all the requisite qualifications/eligibility conditions till the last date for submitting the application form. One of the eligibility qualification for appointment to the post of Principals of Government Intermediate College was three years experience of teaching.

5. Three stages of selection were preliminary examination, main examination and interview. After the candidates were short listed on the declaration of result of preliminary examination, as per the notification issued by the Commission they were required to submit the experience-certificate of requisite qualification of teaching experience in the prescribed format which is appended as Annexure-'2' to the writ petition. The proforma-2 is transcribed as under:

Ák:i&2
mŒÁŒ 'kSf{kd ¼lkekU; f'k{kk laoxZ½ lsok lewg ^^[k** mPprj ds vUrxZr Á/kkukpk;Z in gsrq vuqHko Áek.k i= Áekf.kr fd;k tkrk gS fd Jh@Jherh@dqŒ----------
firk@ifr dk uke----------
irk----------
laLFkk dk uke----------
gkbZLdwy ;k b.Vj ehfM,V d{kkvksa ;k mijksDr ls mPprj d{kkvksa esa Hkkjr esa fof/k }kjk LFkkfir fdlh fo'ofo|ky; vFkok egkfo|ky; vFkok ljdkj }kjk ekU;rk ÁkIr laLFkk esa de ls de rhu o"kZ v/;kiu gsrq in ¼in dk uke½----------ij fnukad----------ls fnukad----------csrucS.M----------xzsM is----------dqy ifjyfC/;ka---------- dk;Zjr FksA
gLrk{kj
uke
Á/kkukpkpZ
Áca/kd jftLVªkj
eqgj
ÁfrgLrk{kfjr
la;qDr f'k{kk funs'kd
eaMy dk uke
eqgj

6. The result of the main examination was declared whereupon 248 candidates were declared successful for the post of Principal. They were invited for interview. A notification dated 27.6.2020 appended at page--'84' of the paper book was issued by the Commission calling upon the candidates who had uploaded the experience-certificate alongwith their online application form but not countersigned by the Joint Director of Education, to furnish duly countersigned experience-certificate on the date of interview. At that stage, some of the selected candidates waiting for interview had approached this Court in Writ