Unrecognized Uttar Pradesh State Open School certificates do not establish eligibility for GDS appointment.

The applicants challenged their non-selection for the post of Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) pursuant to the Department of Posts’ advertisement dated 3 March 2016.

They relied on secondary-school mark sheets issued by the Uttar Pradesh State Open School, Lucknow, and sought directions for issuance of appointment offers according to their merit position.

The respondents contended that the recognition and equivalence of certificates issued by that institution had not been established.

They relied on official communications stating that neither the Uttar Pradesh Secondary Education Council nor the Board of Secondary Education, Rajasthan, had granted equivalence to examinations conducted by the Uttar Pradesh State Open School.

The Tribunal also noted that a criminal case had reportedly been registered concerning alleged fraud by persons associated with the institution.

1. Whether the applicants’ mark sheets issued by the Uttar Pradesh State Open School constituted a recognized or equivalent secondary-school qualification for eligibility to apply for the post of GDS.

2. Whether, in the absence of proof of recognition or equivalence of the issuing institution, the applicants were entitled to appointment in accordance with their claimed merit.

The Tribunal applied the principle that a candidate for public employment must possess the prescribed educational qualification from a board or institution recognized by the competent authority, and that an unverified or unrecognized certificate cannot be treated as satisfying the eligibility requirement.

It relied on its earlier decision in OA Nos. 147 and 148 of 2017, decided on 19 August 2025, holding that certificates issued by the Uttar Pradesh State Open School could not establish eligibility where recognition by the Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad was absent and the institution was not included in the list of approved boards.

The Tribunal further relied on the official communications indicating the absence of equivalence granted by the relevant education authorities.

The applicants’ eligibility depended on the validity and recognition of the secondary-school certificates produced by them.

However, the record did not contain material demonstrating that the Uttar Pradesh State Open School, Lucknow, was recognized by the competent authority or that its examinations had been granted equivalence by the relevant educational boards.

Applying its earlier ruling, the Tribunal held that an applicant could not claim eligibility for the GDS post merely on the basis of certificates from an institution whose recognition had not been established.

The reference to the alleged criminal case further reinforced the need for documentary verification, but the decisive ground was the applicants’ failure to prove recognition or equivalence.

Since the applicants failed to establish that their Uttar Pradesh State Open School mark sheets were issued by a recognized or equivalent educational board, they could not be treated as eligible for the GDS recruitment.

The Original Application was accordingly dismissed, with no order as to costs.