Karnataka High Court
Administrative and Public LawConstitutional Law

Selection of the candidate with higher verified qualifying marks was rightly upheld.

HANAMTHRAYA vs THE STATE OF KARNATAKA

Karnataka High CourtJUDGMENT: September 10, 20262 MIN READSOURCE JUDGMENT
Selection of the candidate with higher verified qualifying marks was rightly upheld.. HANAMTHRAYA vs THE STATE OF KARNATAKA. Karnataka High Court. LawLens
THE ORIGINAL LAWLENS SUMMARY
01

Facts

The respondents advertised one Driver post in the Excise Department for a local candidate from the Hyderabad-Karnataka (now Kalyana Karnataka) region.

Source reference: pp. 3–4

The petitioner and respondent No. 5 applied and took the driving examination.

Source reference: pp. 3–4

A provisional selection list named respondent No. 5, whom the petitioner challenged, claiming that his school marks were higher.

Source reference: pp. 3–4

The petitioner relied on a marks card in grade format and a later document recording his marks as a percentage.

Source reference: pp. 3–4

The Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal rejected his application after comparing the candidates’ marks and considering a report from the Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI).

Source reference: pp. 6–7

The petitioner then challenged the Tribunal’s order under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution

Source reference: pp. 6–7
02

Issues

1. Whether the Tribunal erred in upholding respondent No. 5’s selection when the petitioner contended that his school marks were higher

Source reference: pp. 4–5, 6–8

2. Whether the High Court should interfere with the Tribunal’s order on the ground that it failed to consider the petitioner’s additional marks document

Source reference: pp. 4–5, 8
03

Law Applied

The petition invoked the High Court’s jurisdiction under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution to challenge the Tribunal’s decision

Source reference: p. 2

The judgment identifies no specific recruitment-rule provision or precedent as the basis for its decision. It proceeds on the record before the Tribunal, including the candidates’ marks documents and the DDPI’s report on the school records

Source reference: p. 7
04

Reasoning

The Court noted that the Tribunal compared the candidates’ marks and found that respondent No. 5 had scored 693 out of 900 (77%), while the petitioner had scored 675 out of 900 (75%).

Source reference: pp. 7–8

It also noted that the DDPI, an authorised education officer, had submitted a report that the selection authority accepted before finalising the results.

Source reference: pp. 7–8

On this record, the Court found that respondent No. 5 had scored higher and was qualified for the post; it therefore found no error in the Tribunal’s decision and declined to interfere

Source reference: pp. 7–8
05

Holding

The High Court dismissed the writ petition, leaving the Tribunal’s order rejecting the petitioner’s application undisturbed.

Any pending applications were also disposed of

Source reference: p. 8
Karnataka High Court

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HANAMTHRAYAvsTHE STATE OF KARNATAKA

Karnataka High Court · September 10, 2026

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