The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) to pay ₹1.5 lakh for wrongly rejecting a woman’s application for the Haryana Civil Services (Judicial Branch) exam 2023-24.
Divya Kalia, the applicant, had cleared the written exam. However, before her interview, HPSC informed her that her application was rejected because her Scheduled Caste (SC) certificate did not have a registration number and date. It was also claimed that she had not submitted her domicile certificate.
The court found that this rejection was unfair. The registration number and date were present on the certificate, but they were in a different position than expected. This was a minor issue caused by the authorities who issued the certificate, not the applicant. Additionally, the court confirmed that Kalia had uploaded her domicile certificate.
The High Court stated that the rejection showed a lack of careful examination and responsible governance. It criticized the authorities for handling legal matters in an indifferent way. The court noted that such careless actions waste time and add unnecessary pressure to the judicial system.
As a result, the court imposed a fine of ₹1.5 lakh on HPSC. Out of this amount, ₹50,000 will be given to Kalia, and ₹1 lakh will be donated to the Poor Patients Welfare Society Fund at PGIMER, Chandigarh.
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HPSC has been given the freedom to recover this amount from the officials responsible for the mistake. The court also asked HPSC to take further steps regarding Kalia’s appointment. A compliance report must be submitted by May 5.
The judgment serves as a reminder for authorities to act diligently and distinguish between valid and baseless claims. The court emphasized that unnecessary disputes harm the justice system by delaying important cases.
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