22 February 2024 Administrative Law >> Constitution & Law Procedure   |   Employment Agreements >> Corporate Law  

Facts:

• The Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) issued a notification seeking applications for the recruitment of 18 Home Science lecturers in First Grade Colleges. While specifying a Master's degree in Home Science as a mandatory qualification, the notification did not describe any required subfields within the discipline.
• Following the advertisement, the appellants were selected for the aforementioned positions. Subsequently, an application was filed before the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal, challenging the validity of the notification on the grounds that it lacked specificity regarding the subject categories within Home Science.
• The Supreme Court of India overturned these rulings, finding that the advertisement adhered to relevant recruitment rules, which didn't mandate specifying subfields. Unsuccessful in their appeal before the Tribunal, the KPSC and the appointed candidates further challenged the decision before the High Court of Karnataka, which upheld the Tribunal's order.

Conclusion:

• In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court of India overturned the rulings of both the Tribunal and the High Court. The Court held that the notification issued by the KPSC was in accordance with the applicable recruitment rules, namely the Karnataka Education Department Service (Department of Collegiate Education) (Recruitment) Rules, 1964 and the Karnataka Education Department Service (Department of Collegiate Education) (Special Recruitment) Rules, 1993, which did not mandate the specification of subfields within the broader subject of Home Science.
• Furthermore, the Court deemed a Master's degree in Home Science as sufficient qualification for appointment to any of the advertised positions. The Court also rejected the argument that the omission of subfield details disadvantaged undergraduate students, reasoning that the undergraduate level typically does not involve specialization within the discipline.