SC notice to Patna HC Registry on plea of unsuccessful DJ exam

The Supreme Court has sought response from the Patna High Court Registry on a plea filed by 46 unsuccessful candidates of the District Judges examination, 2015 seeking setting aside of the final result on the ground that the interview process was vitiated.
A bench comprising justices F M I Kalifulla and S A Bobde sought responses from High Court on a plea filed by candidates including Abhimeet Sinha and Jitendra Bharti alleging that only nine candidates were declared successful in the interview against total 99 vacancies.
The plea alleged that a total of 69 candidates were called for the interview after being selected in the written examination.

Sixty candidates, who had performed fairly well in the written test, were given below 10 marks, out of 50, in the interview and as a result they were declared unsuccessful.
In a plea, filed through lawyer Naushad Alam, said the candidates are in "grave predicament" for the reason of their non-selection in the Bihar Superior Judicial Service Examination.
The examination, held for selection of 99 District Judges directly from the Bar, has stipulated minimum 10 marks out of 50 for qualifying the interview, it said, adding that 60 candidates got below 10.

"Most of the petitioners, having got substantially higher marks in the written test, appeared in the interview and answered all the questions of the interview board. However, out of 69 candidates only 9 were declared successful having obtained 10 or more marks in the interview," it said.

"In such circumstances, it is apparent that the manner in which the impugned selection process has been conducted smacks of complete arbitrariness and violates the petitioners' rights under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution calling for an immediate interference by this Court," the plea said.
"Issue a direction...Thereby directing the Respondents (High Court and others) to consider petitioners for their appointment under Advertisement No. 1/2015 after removing/ relaxing the minimum qualifying marks in the interview," it said.
The plea has also made nine successful candidates as parties.
It has also sought striking down of a provision of the the Bihar Superior Judicial (Amendment) Rules 2013 on the ground that it is "contrary to the recommendation of Justice KJ Shetty Commission".