CAT Restores Hindi Evaluator Candidate’s Candidature After Marksheet’s English-Medium Error Was Corrected, Directs Offer If Other Requirements Are Met

The applicant’s candidature for the post of Evaluator (Correspondence Courses) was cancelled because his M.A. (Hindi) marksheet recorded English as the medium of instruction.

He contended that his degree had been obtained before the cutoff date and that the discrepancy was an error in the marksheet, not the degree; he had submitted an undertaking to provide a corrected marksheet, which the University issued on 1 January 2026.

The applicant challenged the cancellation and sought appointment and consequential benefits.

The Tribunal heard the application on the pleadings and also considered his request to keep one post vacant pending adjudication.

The Tribunal cited no statute, regulation, or precedent.

It applied the principle that an error in a marksheet cannot, by itself, justify rejection of a candidate’s claim where the underlying qualification is undisputed and the error has been rectified; the respondents could verify the relevant facts with the competent authority.

The Tribunal found that the applicant possessed the M.A. (Hindi) degree and that the result had been declared before the cutoff date.

The discrepancy concerned the medium recorded on the marksheet, not the degree itself, and the corrected marksheet was on record.

In those circumstances, the Tribunal held that the marksheet error could not be the sole basis for rejecting the candidature; the respondents could have verified the discrepancy with the competent authority.

It directed the respondents to accept the applicant’s candidature and issue an offer of appointment, provided he met all other requirements, within two months of receiving a certified copy of the order.

The applicant was granted consequential benefits on a notional basis; the pending M.A. was disposed of and no order as to costs was made.