Petitioners must provide timely and substantiated claims for reservation categories; late or unsupported requests are not permissible.

JUDGMENT

1. The petitioner having requisite qualifications applied for the post of Professional Assistant Grade II (Library) in the selection process for which the advertisement was issued by the Kearla Public Service Commission (KPSC). The petitioner applied as General Category candidate claiming reservation in 10% posts reserved for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) of the society. Now, the petitioner has come up before this Court in the present writ petition for a writ of mandamus commanding the respondents to treat the petitioner as an Other Backward Classes (OBC) candidate and extend the benefit of reservation of that category to him.

2. In paragraph No. 5 of the counter affidavit filed on behalf of the KPSC, it has been stated as under;

5. It is submitted that notification for selection to the post of Professional Assistant Grade II (Library) was published in the gazette dated 16.06.2021 vide category No.207/2021 with last date fixed for receipt of application as 21.07.2021. The petitioner applied for this post (101398) as General Candidate on 20/07/2021 and later he added EWS claim in profile on 21-01-2023. He has not submitted any document in support of reservation claim either for OBC or EWS during the time of Verification or at the time of Interview. He has been included in the Main list in the R/L with rank 153 without granting the reservation benefit. Since the petitioner has not claimed any Communal reservation within the last date of receipt of application, and has not produced proof to substantiate the claim in Verification Process, he was not granted reservation benefit.