The Delhi High Court has firmly ruled that post failure claims for correction in exam forms cannot be entertained once a candidate has participated in the selection process and failed to qualify.
The Court emphasised that every applicant carries a personal duty to verify all particulars before final submission of an online examination form.
A Division Bench of Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Madhu Jain observed that a candidate cannot seek judicial indulgence after the declaration of results by claiming that an error came to light only after failure.
The Bench held that permitting such post failure claims for correction in exam forms would compromise equality among similarly placed candidates who were also excluded due to their own mistakes.
The Court made it clear that recruitment processes are governed strictly by the terms of the advertisement and instructions.
Any relaxation after submission would not only breach the declared conditions but would also unfairly advantage one candidate over many others who complied with the rules.
The ruling came while dismissing a writ petition filed by a woman candidate who had applied for the post of Constable Executive Male or Female in Delhi Police. She contended that while filling the application through a cyber café, technical issues led her to select incorrect options in two crucial questions.
One of these questions was directly connected to eligibility for height relaxation available to wards of Delhi Police personnel.
After being declared ineligible, she approached the Central Administrative Tribunal seeking correction of what she described as clerical errors and requested consideration under the relaxation category. The Tribunal declined relief, following which the matter reached the High Court.
Upholding the Tribunal’s order, the High Court ruled that the recruiting authority could not be faulted for errors committed by the candidate herself.
The Bench noted that the advertisement categorically warned candidates that no request for correction would be entertained once the form was submitted. It further held that no field in the application could be treated as immaterial after participation in the recruitment process.
Reiterating the settled position of law, the Court held that post failure claims for correction in exam forms undermine the sanctity of competitive examinations and disturb parity among candidates. The writ petition was dismissed as lacking merit, and the Tribunal’s decision was affirmed.
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