Public recruitment schedules are final; minor illnesses do not justify rescheduling or judicial intervention.

The respondent applied for the post of Constable in the Delhi Police pursuant to an advertisement dated September 1, 2023

After qualifying for the first tier of the selection process, he was scheduled to appear for the Physical Endurance and Measurement Test (PE&MT) on January 14, 2024

The respondent failed to appear, citing ill health (cold, fever, and dizziness), and submitted three representations on January 13, 14, and 25, 2024, seeking to reschedule the test

The appellants marked him as "absent."

The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) directed the appellants to allow the respondent to participate in the PE&MT with the next batch, a direction subsequently upheld by the High Court of Delhi

The appellants challenged these orders, arguing that the advertisement explicitly stated the schedule was final

The Court applied the principle that the terms and conditions specified in a recruitment advertisement, particularly regarding the finality of examination schedules, are binding on the candidates

It further emphasized the doctrine of a "fair level playing field" in public employment, asserting that judicial discretion must be exercised within strictly defined legal boundaries

The Court held that "grace, charity or compassion" should not influence adjudicatory outcomes in public recruitment if they compromise the integrity and uniformity of the selection process

The Court reasoned that the advertisement’s clear stipulation—that the PE&MT schedule could not be altered under any circumstances—left no room for the respondent to demand a reschedule

The Court noted that the respondent’s ailment was not so debilitating as to prevent him from moving, as evidenced by his own admission of reporting to the recruitment office on January 13; his failure to appear on January 14 to request an accommodation in person demonstrated a lack of "drive and initiative"

The Court found no evidence that the respondent’s representations were officially received or acknowledged, and even if they were, the appellants’ silence did not create a legal right to a second chance

The Court rejected the lower forums' reliance on the respondent’s backward community status, stating that such factors cannot be used to tilt the scales of justice against established rules of recruitment

The Court held that the respondent was rightly marked "absent" and that the Tribunal erred in disrupting the recruitment process by granting an unauthorized rescheduling

No costs were awarded