ups_00373 — For the post of Postman, educational qualifications (study of local language at least up to 10th standard) as per Recruitment Rules for promotion, which were found to be arbitrary and unconstitutional, are quashed and thus there shall no insistence to comply with that qualification

For the post of Postman, educational qualifications (study of local language at least up to 10th standard) as per Recruitment Rules for promotion, which were found to be arbitrary and unconstitutional, are quashed and thus there shall no insistence to comply with that qualification — This chunk is about an applicant contesting the rejection of her application for the post of Postman, as she was deemed ineligible due to not having studied Malayalam as a subject up to 10th Standard... — Facts: The Applicant, working as a Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) Assistant Branch Postmaster-I, Vallarpadam BO under the Ernakulam Postal Division, had applied for recruitment to the cadre of Postman in response to the Notification, dated 16-8-2019. After she sent the application and appeared for the examination, she was served with a Memo, dated 20-2-2020 informing her that since she had not studied Malayalam as a subject up to 10th Standard, her candidature for the post has been rejected. The Applicant has knowledge in Malayalam and, had studied up to 10th Standard in the Malayalam medium. Therefore, the stand that she did not study Malayalam language as a subject in the 10th Standard is liable to be interfered with. The Applicant, therefore, sought a direction to call for the records and to set aside the impugned order rejecting her candidature and also for a direction to the Respondents to publish her results in the competitive examination held on 29-9-2019 and also to allow her to appear for the Data Entry Skill Test (DEST) to be held on 8-3-2020 for the purpose of selection for appointment to the post of Postman against the vacancies as notified along with other candidates who had applied for selection. She also prayed for a direction to appoint her to the post of Postman in case she is selected in the order of merit and in accordance with law. Further, prayer of the Applicant for interim is that she may be allowed to appear for the Data Entry Skill Test scheduled to be held on 8-3-2020 or on any deferred date. The Respondents filed a reply statement stating that in the Recruitment Rules, it has been indicated that the candidate should have studied local language at least up to 10th Standard. In relation to the Department of Posts Postman and Mail Guard (Group 'C' post) Recruitment Rules, 2018 dated 20-9-2018 for the post of Postman, the educational and other qualifications required for direct recruits is knowledge of local language of the concerned State or Union Territory along with having studied local language at least up to 10th Standard. On scrutiny of the application form submitted by the Applicant, it was found that she had learnt Sanskrit as language (Paper I and II) instead of Malayalam. This indicates that the Applicant had not appeared in any examination for passing Malayalam as language and hence her candidature has been rejected.