### Height Measurements in Recruitment Must be Rounded Off to the Nearest Centimetre Pursuant to Binding Guidelines

The Petitioner applied for the position of Assistant Commandant in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) Examination-2025.

During the Physical Standard Test (PST), the Petitioner was disqualified because his height was measured at 164.7 cm, falling short of the required 165 cm mandate.

The Petitioner challenged this disqualification, seeking a Writ of Mandamus to allow him to proceed to the Physical Efficiency Test (PET) and subsequent selection rounds.

He relied on a prior High Court precedent and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines regarding the rounding off of physical measurements.

Whether the Petitioner’s measured height of 164.7 cm should be rounded off to 165 cm in accordance with official recruitment guidelines.

Whether the Petitioner is entitled to proceed to the next stage of the CAPF selection process based on such rounding off.

The court primarily applied Clause 2(d) of the General Instructions for Recruitment Board issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on 20.05.2015, which stipulates that during PST, a height fraction of less than 0.5 cm is ignored, while 0.5 cm or more must be rounded off to the next higher centimeter.

Additionally, the court relied on Paragraph 48(a) of the Manual of Medical Examination and Medical Standards (DGMS Army), which mandates recording height to the nearest centimeter.

The decision was further guided by the precedent set in Priyanshu Raj v. Union of India & Ors. [W.P.(C) 18334/2025], which addressed an identical measurement dispute.

The court examined the height measurement of the Petitioner (164.7 cm) against the mandatory rounding-off protocol established in the MHA General Instructions.

Since the fraction of 0.7 cm exceeds the 0.5 cm threshold defined in Clause 2(d), the court reasoned that the measurement must legally be rounded up to 165 cm.

The court observed that the DGMS Manual also supports recording height to the "nearest centimeter," reinforcing the Petitioner's eligibility.

By applying the principle of consistency with its earlier ruling in Priyanshu Raj, the court determined that the respondents had failed to apply the prescribed rounding-off standard to the Petitioner's borderline case.

The court held that if the decision is in favor of the Petitioner (applying the 165 cm rounded-off height), he shall be permitted to appear for the Physical Efficiency Test (PET) and proceed with the recruitment process.

The petition was disposed of accordingly.