Candidates are not disqualified for discontinued higher studies absent possession or pursuit on the application date.

The petitioner applied pursuant to Notification Nos. 72 and 73 of 2025 dated 06.04.2025 for the posts of Chobdar, Office Assistant, Residential Assistant and Room Boy in the Madras High Court Service.

The notification prescribed a minimum qualification of a pass in VIII Standard and a maximum qualification of Higher Secondary (+2), and required candidates to undertake that they were neither possessing nor pursuing any higher qualification as on the date of submitting the application.

The petitioner cleared the written examination but was disqualified before the skill test and certificate verification on the ground that she was overqualified because she had pursued a B.Com. course.

Her Transfer Certificate showed that she joined the first year of the B.Com. course on 11.07.2022 and discontinued it on 21.06.2023.

She submitted her recruitment application on 06.04.2025.

Whether the petitioner was disqualified under Clause 4(B) of the recruitment notification merely because she had previously pursued a B.Com. course, despite having discontinued it before submitting her application?

Whether the rejection of the petitioner’s candidature on the ground of possessing a higher educational qualification was legally sustainable when she possessed only the Higher Secondary qualification and was not pursuing any higher course on 06.04.2025?

The Court applied Article 226 of the Constitution of India and the eligibility conditions contained in Clause 4(B) of Notification Nos. 72 and 73 of 2025 dated 06.04.2025.

Under Clause 4(B), a candidate must satisfy two distinct requirements as on the date of submitting the application: first, the candidate must not possess a qualification higher than Higher Secondary (+2); and second, the candidate must not be pursuing any higher qualification other than Higher Secondary or its equivalent.

The Court treated these as separate conditions and held that previous pursuit of a higher course, by itself, does not amount to disqualification where the course had been discontinued before the relevant application date.

The Court examined the wording of Clause 4(B) and distinguished between possessing a higher qualification and pursuing a higher qualification on the date of application.

The petitioner admittedly had not acquired or possessed any qualification higher than Higher Secondary.

Although she had enrolled in the B.Com. course in 2022, the Transfer Certificate established that she discontinued the course on 21.06.2023, well before the application date of 06.04.2025.

Accordingly, she was neither possessing a higher qualification nor pursuing one when she submitted her application.

The respondents therefore incorrectly applied the disqualification relating to candidates pursuing higher education, and the rejection of her candidature was contrary to the express terms of the notification.

The respondents were directed to permit the petitioner to participate in the further stages of the selection process in accordance with the recruitment notification and the applicable service rules.

No order as to costs was made.