A candidate seeking reservation must produce a valid caste certificate (specifically a parental certificate for women) at the time of document verification or within a reasonable stipulated time; failure to do so justifies treating the candidate as a general category applicant.

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2026:HHC:19889

IN THE HIGH COURT OF HIMACHAL PRADESH AT

SHIMLA

CWP No. 4893 of 2025

Decided on : 26.05.2026

Anjna Kumari

…Petitioner

Versus

State of Himachal Pradesh and others

…Respondents

Coram

Hon’ble Mr. Justice Ajay Mohan Goel, Judge

Whether approved for reporting?¹ Yes

For the petitioner : Ms. Meera Devi, Advocate.

For the respondents : Mr. Rajpal Thakur, Additional

Advocate General, for respondents

No.1 to 3.

Mr. Chander Narayan Singh,

Advocate, for respondent No.4.

Ajay Mohan Goel, Judge (Oral

Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that no

rejoinder is required to be filed to the reply filed by the

respondents. Her statement is taken on record.

2. By way of this writ petition, the petitioner has, inter

alia, prayed for the following reliefs:-

“i) That the impugned act of omission and

1Whether reporters of the local papers may be allowed to see the judgment?

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commission of the respondents not considering the

candidature of the petitioner for appointment to the post

of JBT on contract basis on batch wise as SC category in

the counselling held on 22-11-2023 and treating the

petitioner as general category candidate and rejecting

the claim of the petitioner as SC ca tegory may kindly be

declared unjust illegal, unconstitutional and against the

principle of natural justice.

ii) That the judgtment passed in CWP 3129 of 2020

tilled as Raj Kumari versus state of H.P and other not

applicable in the present by treating the petitioner as

general category and rejecting the claim of the petitioner

as SC category candidate.

Iii) That the respondents may kindly be directed to

consider the candidature of the petitioner for appointment

to the post of JBT Contract basis on batch wise pursuant

i to the counseling held on 22-11-2023 as SC Category

candidate and in the events the petitioner is found

suitable for appointment,she be offered appointment to

the post of JBT contract basis on batch wise pursuant the

counselling held on 12-11-2023 as SC Category

candidate.”

3. The case of the petitioner is that she applied for

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appointment against the post of J.B.T Teacher under the

Scheduled Caste category. At the time of counselling, she

submitted the Scheduled Caste Certificate from her marital

side, but the petitioner was asked by the Department to submit

said certificate from her parental side i.e. Parental Scheduled

Caste Certificate. According to the petitioner, she immediately

submitted the same to respondent No. 3. The grievance of the

petitioner is that in terms of the result declared by the

Department, candidateus less meritorious than her, have been

placed in the waoiting list of the Scheduled Caste category,

whereas, herC name has been excluded.

4. Learned counsel for the petitioner submitted that the

petitioner had applied under the Scheduled Caste category and

when she was called for counselling on 22.11.2023, she

erroneously submitted the Caste Certificate from her husband's

side. She further submitted that thereafter, Scheduled Caste

Certificate from the parental side was also submitted by the

petitioner. She submitted that the petitioner also sought certain

information under the Right to Information Act, regarding the

procedure for appointment of Scheduled Caste category

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2026:HHC:19889

candidates on contract basis in terms of the J.B.T Recruitment

Rules. In terms of the information supplied to the petitioner, she

was informed that in cas