HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH ****

Decided on 26.08.2025 ****

Vikas & Anr. ... Petitioners VS.

State of Haryana & Ors. ... Respondents ****

CORAM: HON’BLE MR.JUSTICE SANDEEP MOUDGIL ****

Present: Mr. Abhijeet Singh Rawaley, Advocate for the petitioners ****

Sandeep Moudgil, J.

(1). The jurisdiction of this Court has been invoked under Article 226 of the Constitution of India for issuing a writ of certiorari quashing the impugned notice dated 02.07.2025 (Annexure P18) vide which vacancies of Senior Scale Stenographer, Junior Scale Stenographer and Steno-Typist to be filed in for various Departments/Boards/Corporations etc. as mentioned in Group Nos.58, 59 & 60 under Advertisement No.10 of 2024 dated 15.07.2024 (Annexure P11) has been withdrawn on the ground that the same shall be re-

advertised after conducting CET-01/2025.

(2). A further direction is sought directing the respondents to conclude the recruitment process initiated vide the above-said advertisement No.10 of 2024 in a time bound manner in the light of the judgment dated 31.05.2025 passed by this Court in Sukriti Malik vs. State of Haryana & Ors. (CWP-1563-

2024) and other connected cases (Annexure P9).

(3). Briefly stated, the facts of the case are that the Haryana Staff Selection Board (in short the HSSC) initially issued Advertisement No.11 of 2019 (Annexure P1) for recruitment to various posts including 34 posts of Junior Scale Stenographers and 25 posts of Steno Typist in Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, however, later on 25 posts of Steno Typist were cancelled vide notice dated 28.12.2020 (Annexure P2). The respondents on 30.12.2021 notified that the HSSC shall conduct Common Eligibility Test as launched on 12.01.2021 for the purpose of selection and recommendation of names of candidates of Group C posts. Subsequently, on 12.01.2022, the respondents withdrew all the advertisements issued from 2018 onwards, except the present advertisement in which skill tests for recruitment against 34 posts of Junior Scale Stenographers were conducted from 05.02.2024 to 11.02.2024. Surprisingly, vide notice dated 13.01.2022, 34 posts of Junior Sale Stenographers were also withdrawn from the purview of advertisement No.11 of 2019.

(4). Thereafter, the State of Haryana on 05.05.2022 notified 2022 CET Policy (Annexure P4) to simplify and standardize the direct recruitment process against Group-C & Group-D posts. The HSSC issued an advertisement bearing No.CET-01/2022 calling upon desirous candidates to register for appearing in the CET which was conducted on 05.11.2022 and 06.11.2022 wherein only 3,57,562 candidates qualified including the petitioners, out of total 7,73,572 candidates. The said CET result was however, scrapped by this Court.

(5). Another advertisement No.3 dated 07.03.2023 (Annexure P6) was issued against which skill tests were also held and result so declared on 25.07.2023 was later on set aside by this Court. The HSSC published a schedule on 24.01.2024 to conduct Stenography test from 05.02.2024 onwards for various categories under Group 58 to 60 under Advertisement No.3 of 2023. Skill tests were held as scheduled, however, later on a Division Bench of this Court in Sukriti Malik vs. State of Haryana & Ors. (CWP-1563-2024) and other connected cases decided on 31.05.2025 (Annexure P9), found the action of the respondents with regard to addition of 5% bonus marks on the basis of socio economic criteria of the candidate to the total percentage of marks obtained by them in CET to be not in accordance with law.

(6). Ultimately, on 25.06.2024, the HSSC uploaded revised result of CET Group C vide public notice dated 25.06.2024 in which the petitioners were shown to have qualified thereby gaining eligibility for applying the prospective advertisements.

(7). Thereafter, in compliance to the judgment dated 31.05.2025 (Annexure P9), the respondents again issued Advertisement No.10 of 2024, inter alia, for recruitment of 1838 posts of Senior/Junior Sale Stenographe