REPORTABLE IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

2025 INSC 479 CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION CIVIL APPEAL NO(S)._______________ OF 2025 [@ SPECIAL LEAVE PETITION (CIVIL) NO(S). 17747 OF 2023]

PRABHJOT KAUR …APPELLANT Versus STATE OF PUNJAB AND ORS. …RESPONDENT(S)

J U D G M E N T SUDHANSHU DHULIA, J.

1. Leave granted.

2. By way of the present appeal, the appellant challenges an order of the Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court at Chandigarh passed on 18.07.2023.

3. This appeal involves the question of reservations of posts in the government services of the State of Punjab; including reservation for women. It is necessary here to elaborate upon some essential facts of this case in order to better appreciate the controversy before us.

These facts are as follows:

a. On the basis of a requisition issued by the State government on 17.04.2020, the Respondent no. 4-Punjab Public Service Commission (‘Public Service Commission’) issued J D a a y t a e n : t 2 K 02 u 5 m .0 a 4 r . A 0 r 9 ora advertisement no. 08 on 04.06.2020 for recruitment to 77 Reason:

posts in the State government services through the Punjab State Civil Services Combined Competitive Examination-2020. This included the 26