112 IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Date of decision: 13.02.2026 Tinku ....Petitioner Versus State of Haryana and others ...Respondents CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE HARPREET SINGH BRAR Present: Mr. Ravinder Singh Dhull, Advocate for the petitioner.

Mr. Piyush Khanna, Addl.A.G., Haryana.

Mr. Divyansh Shukla, Advocate for Mr. Sukhdeep Parmar, Advocate for respondents No.2 & 3.

Mr. Prince Singh, Advocate for respondent No.4.

HARPREET SINGH BRAR, J. (ORAL)

1. The present civil writ petition has been filed under Articles 226/227 of the Constitution of India for issuance of a writ in the nature of mandamus directing the respondents to accept the petitioner’s application for the post of Assistant Engineer (Electrical Cadre) and include him in the selection process based on his GATE-EE score and equivalence certificate and also for directing the respondents to conduct document verification of his equivalence certificate as per advertisement terms and treat him at par with other eligible candidates throughout the selection process. Further, for issuance of a writ in the nature of certiorari for quashing the impugned rejection list (Annexure P-5) or any other adverse communication or decision excluding the petitioner from consideration for the advertised post.

2. Learned counsel for the petitioner inter alia contends that the petitioner is a B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from a recognized college affiliated to the Maharishi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak which is a UGC recognized University. He completed the degree in first division in the year 2013 as discernible from Annexure P-1. The petitioner qualified the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE- 2024) in both Electronics and Communication Engineering and Electrical Engineering as evident from Annexure P-2 which clearly demonstrates that the competence of the petitioner in the Electrical discipline. The respondent- Corporation issued an advertisement on 25.09.2025 (Annexure P-3) for the recruitment to the post of Assistant Engineer (Electrical Cadre). The advertisement prescribed a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Electrical & Electronics Engineering or equivalent qualification along with a valid GATE score in Electrical Engineering. The petitioner applied within the prescribed period but was placed in the impugned rejection list issued in December, 2025 (Annexure P-5) on the sole ground of want of equivalency without any opportunity for document verification. The petitioner approached the MDU, Rohtak which after examining the veracity of the credentials of the petitioner’s qualification by its Equivalence Committee, issued an Equivalence Certificate dated 15.01.2026 (Annexure P-6 ) approved by the Academic Council certifying approximately 70% similarity between the essential qualification set out in the advertisement and the qualification acquired by the petitioner. The equivalence was determined pursuant to a resolution of the Academic Council as discernible from Annexure P-7. Despite the petitioner submitting the said certificate, the respondents have failed to reconsider his candidature or conduct document verification and have proceeded with the selection process excluding the petitioner.

3. Per contra, learned counsel for the respondent-Corporation submits that it is a trite law that equivalence of the prescribed essential academic qualification, it is sole domain of the employer and this Court while exercising its powers under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, cannot act as a domain expert and render a finding with respect to equivalence of the prescribed academic qualification.

4. Having heard learned counsel for the parties and after perusal of the record with their able assistance, it transpires that the essential qualification for the post for which the petitioner has applied is reproduced as under:-

5. The controversy involved in the present case has been considered in extenso by this Court in CWP No.14254 of 2022 titled