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Court Strikes Down Haryana's 2019 Socio-Economic Bonus Marks Policy

Punjab and Haryana High Court declares the policy unconstitutional, orders revised merit lists and transitional provisions for impacted employees.

Randeep Singh Surjewala (HT Photo)
The petitions challenging the criterion were filed in 2021, when recruitment was underway for many posts and the process was completed in most cases. (iStock)

Overview

  • The Punjab and Haryana High Court invalidated Haryana's 2019 policy granting up to 10 bonus marks for socio-economic criteria in Group B and C job recruitment.
  • The court ruled the policy violated Articles 14, 15, and 16 of the Constitution by creating an artificial class of applicants and breaching the 50% reservation ceiling set by the Indira Sawhney case.
  • The state government has been directed to publish revised recruitment results based solely on merit within three months, affecting thousands of appointments made under the policy.
  • Candidates currently employed under the quashed policy will be allowed to continue in ad hoc roles or be considered for future vacancies to mitigate unfair displacement.
  • The 2019 policy was criticized for lacking constitutional rule-making under Article 309 and for being unsupported by data, while the state defended it as a measure for societal welfare.