IMPORTANT POINT
The court emphasized the necessity of timely certificate verification in recruitment processes, affirming the rights of eligible candidates under Articles 14, 16, and 21 of the Constitution.

ORDER :

This writ petition is filed praying to grant the following relief:

“… to issue any appropriate writ, order or direction particularly one in the nature of a mandamus declaring the action of the respondents in not issuing the Call Letters for verification of their original certificates, having issued the same earlier vide Letter No.SE/OP/NZB/DE (T)/JAO (Estt)/CI/F.No. Sub-Eng/CI/D.No.2165/18, dated 24.09.2018, and Memo No.SE/O/KMM/DE (T)/PO/JAO/Adm /A5/CI/D.No.1290/18, dated 25.09.2018, by the 3rd and 4th respondents respectively, pursuant to the Notification No.2 of 2018 dated 24.05.2018 for recruitment to the post of Sub-Engineer (Electrical), issued by the 1st respondent, as arbitrary, illegal and violative of Articles 14, 16 and 21 of the Constitution of India and consequently direct the respondents to verify the Original Certificates of the Petitioners and accordingly appoint them as Sub-Engineers (Electrical), against the Notified Vacancies, under SC, BC (A) Categories respectively based on their merit 56, 84 marks, on par with other candidates with all consequential benefits, pursuant to the Notification No.2 of 2018 issued by the 1st respondent, and pass such other orders as may be just.”

2. Brief facts:

Petitioners belong to Nizamabad and Khammam Districts and belong to SC and BC-A communities respectively. They are Diploma Holders in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. Petitioner No.1 passed B.Tech., in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from JNTU. Pursuant to Notification No.2 of 2018, dated 24.05.2018, for recruitment to the post of Sub-Engineers (Electrical), petitioners submitted their online applications and they were issued Hall Tickets bearing Nos.1040582 and 1120644 respectively. Petitioners attended written test held on 08.07.2018 and secured 56 and 84 marks respectively and their ranks were 3267 and 315 respectively.

2.1 Petitioners were issued call letters by the concerned Superintending Engineers, dated 24.09.2018 and 25.09.2018, requesting to attend for certificate verification on 03.10.2018 and 05.10.2018 at the respective Circle Offices. Certificate verification was postponed due to election code and they were intimated that the date of verification of original certificates would be communicated. The grievance of the petitioners is that verification of their original certificates was not done nor any date was intimated and that having qualified in written examination they are eligible for appointment as Sub-Engineers against the notified vacancies under the SC and BC-A Categories respectively. Hence, the writ petition.

3. It is submitted by learned counsel for petitioners that pursuant to notification issued in the month of May, 2018 for recruitment to the post of Sub-Engineers (Electrical), petitioners submitted online applications, appeared for the written examination with Hall Tickets bearing No.1040582 and 1120644 on 08.07.2018. It is further submitted that petitioners secured 56 and 84 marks and they were allotted ranks of 3267 and 315. It is also submitted that they belong to SC and BC-A categories and are from Nizamabad and Khammam Districts.

3.1 It is submitted that the petitioners received call letters from the concerned Superintending Engineers, Operation Circle of Nizamabad and Khammam District, for verification of certificates on 03.10.2018 and 05.10.2018 pursuant to the result of written examination conducted on 08.07.2018. It is further submitted that petitioners were ready and willing to be subjected for certificate verification and were prepared with the certificates as indicated in the call letters dated 24.09.2018 and 25.09.2018 before the concerned authorities. But, verification of certificates was not undertaken in spite of issuance of letters. It is also submitted that thought petitioners were ready and willing to subject themselves to certificate verification, the said verification process was postponed as Election Code, had come into operation.

3.2 It is submitted that pet