Karnataka HC: Audit Job Aspirant With 444.5 Marks Had No Locus To Challenge Select List After Missing 3B Interview Cutoff Of 685

The petitioner challenged the Karnataka Public Service Commission’s select list dated 17 October 2017 for Assistant Controller and Audit Officer posts, after the Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal dismissed his application.

He claimed that, having applied under the 3B Rural Kannada Medium category and scored 444.50 marks, he should have been considered for interview after 11 candidates were disqualified at document verification.

He also alleged excess reservation for the Hyderabad Karnataka region.

The KPSC stated that the cutoff was 685 marks for 3B and 701 for General Merit, and that respondent No. 3, selected under General Merit, had scored 708.5 marks.

The petition invoked the High Court’s supervisory jurisdiction under Article 227 of the Constitution.

The Court applied the principle that a candidate who has not qualified for interview and is not near the relevant cutoff lacks standing to challenge the selection of other candidates.

It also considered the 8% reservation for the Hyderabad Karnataka Local Area under the 2013 Notification, while requiring the petitioner to establish that the reservation had in fact been exceeded.

No precedent was cited.

The petitioner’s 444.50 marks were substantially below both the 3B cutoff of 685 and the General Merit cutoff of 701.

He therefore had not qualified for interview and lacked locus to challenge respondent No. 3’s or other candidates’ selections.

As to regional reservation, the petitioner did not demonstrate how the stated allocation of posts exceeded 8%; the KPSC also explained that the figures included carry-forward posts.

The Court consequently found no error or illegality in the Tribunal’s consideration of the petitioner’s claims.

It found no basis for interference under Article 227 and rejected the writ petition.