Office Notes, reports, S N L o . .

Date ord o e r r d s ir o e r c p ti r o o n c s e e a d n i d n gs COURT’S OR JUDGE’S ORDERS Registrar’s order with Signatures WPSS/ 146/ 2026 Hon’ble Alok Mahra, J.

Mr. Vinay Kumar, learned counsel for the petitioner.

2. Mr. Naveen Tiwari, learned Brief Holder for the State.

3. The present petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India has been filed seeking issuance of a writ in the nature of mandamus commanding and directing the respondent/Appointing Authority to conduct/verify the educational and training documents of the petitioner for the post of Assistant Teacher (Arts), Government Primary School, District Rudraprayag, pursuant to the advertisement dated 07.11.2025, inasmuch as the petitioner, though present for document verification, was arbitrarily deprived by the authorities from participating in the selection process. A further direction has been sought commanding the respondent/ Appointing Authority to consider the candidature of the petitioner for appointment to the post of Assistant Teacher (Arts), Government Primary School, District Rudraprayag, as per his merit against the vacancies earmarked for the Scheduled Caste category under the said advertisement dated 07.11.2025.

4. It is the case of the petitioner that the District Education Officer, Elementary Education, District Rudraprayag issued an advertisement for selection of candidates for appointment on the post of Assistant Teacher, Government Primary School, District Rudraprayag; that the petitioner duly submitted his application form within the prescribed time; that thereafter a merit list was published, and the candidates whose names appeared therein were required to remain present for document verification/counselling on 12.01.2026 at 10:00 A.M. at Government Inter College, Ratura, District Rudraprayag along with original documents; that the petitioner could not reach the place of counselling at exactly 10:00 A.M., and consequently, the authorities did not permit him to participate in the document verification/counselling process. Hence, the present petition.

5. Learned counsel for the petitioner would submit that the petitioner is fully qualified for the post advertised and that his name duly figured in the merit list for document verification/counselling; that, the petitioner reached the place of counselling at Government Inter College, Ratura, District Rudraprayag at about 10:15 A.M., but the authorities did not permit him to mark his presence in the attendance register; that, despite repeated requests, he was not allowed to participate in the counselling process; that, the petitioner immediately submitted a representation to the District Education Officer, Elementary Education on the same day i.e. 12.01.2026, but no decision has been taken thereon till date.

6. Per contra, learned State counsel would submit that as per Rule 17(3) of the Uttarakhand Elementary Education Services Teacher Amendment Rules, 2012, as amended in the year 2025, the Selection Committee is required to prepare the list only of those candidates who appear before it for document verification on the fixed date and time; that since the petitioner did not reach the place of counselling within the stipulated time, he was rightly not permitted to