Jaipur: Rajasthan High Court Monday expressed dissatisfaction with the affidavit filed by the administrative reforms department in a case related to Class IV (peon) recruitment-2024, observing that “govt departments should not shift responsibility onto each other”.The bench of Justice Anand Sharma was hearing a petition filed by Vinod Kumar concerning the recruitment process in which candidates scoring 0 marks were also considered eligible for appointment for the post of peon.During the hearing, the court noted that the department in its reply stated that fixing a minimum cut-off or qualifying marks was not its responsibility. It told the court its role was limited to allotting departments to successful candidates, while matters relating to recruitment rules and determination of minimum marks fell under Department of Personnel (DoP) and Rajasthan Staff Selection Board.The court, however, expressed displeasure over the reply and remarked that govt departments cannot keep passing responsibility from one to another when the court seeks an explanation.Earlier, the court had asked the department’s principal secretary to file an affidavit explaining how such a situation arose where the cut-off in the ex-serviceman (OBC) category went as low as 0.0033, effectively 0 marks.The court also questioned how a candidate scoring 0 or even negative marks in the examination could be treated as suitable for a govt post.The bench observed that even for a Clas IV post, a basic standard in govt service was necessary. The petitioner’s counsel, Harendra Neel, argued that as the recruitment advertisement and service rules did not prescribe any minimum qualifying marks, candidates who secured negative marks should also be considered if vacancies remain unfilled. tnn
