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Punjab and Haryana High Court Upholds 50% Cut-Off for Superior Judiciary Recruitment

The bench affirmed its authority to prescribe minimum marks to safeguard higher standards in judicial selection.

Punjab and Haryana HC dismissed a plea from one, Rushil Jindal, who had challenged the criterion of securing 50% marks for appointment as an additional sessions judge in Punjab.
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Overview

  • A division bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry dismissed a petition by Rushil Jindal challenging the 50% aggregate requirement.
  • Clause 8.4 mandates at least 40% in each written paper to be considered for viva voce and 50% overall across written and viva, with a 45% aggregate threshold for specified reserved categories.
  • The court held that administrative instructions may supplement service rules where they are silent, relying on Supreme Court jurisprudence including K.H. Siraj.
  • The High Court retains discretion to shortlist candidates up to three times the number of vacancies for the viva voce and emphasized selecting the best available talent for the judiciary.
  • Similar challenges to the selection process have failed earlier, and the Supreme Court dismissed a related matter in October 2024.