New Delhi: The Supreme Court has held that allowing candidates with higher qualifications to secure posts meant for lower-qualified applicants deprives eligible candidates of employment opportunities.
A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R. Mahadevan made the observation while setting aside an order of the Madras High Court that had reinstated a temporary bank attendant.
The court noted that the employee had obtained the job, which was reserved for candidates with qualifications up to Class 10, by concealing his graduation.
“Public employment must be made available to all eligible candidates in accordance with the prescribed qualifications. When the post was specifically intended for candidates possessing lower educational qualifications, permitting a person with higher qualifications to secure such employment would necessarily result in depriving a genuinely eligible and deserving candidate of the opportunity,” the court said.
It added that prescribing an upper limit of qualification was reasonable and aimed at providing opportunities to those who could not pursue higher education.
“The state, as a model employer, is justified in reserving certain categories of posts for such persons so that they are not compelled to compete with more highly-qualified candidates against whom they would ordinarily stand little chance of selection. Such a policy has consistently been upheld by the courts,” it said.
The apex court upheld the bank’s decision to dismiss the employee.
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