The Karnataka High Court has directed the Karnataka government to appoint a candidate as an excise guard within eight weeks after ruling that an official printing error in his SSLC marks card could not deprive him of a public-sector job.
A division bench headed by Justice S.G. Pandit dismissed the state government’s petition challenging a 2018 order of the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT). The bench directed the government to appoint K. Manjunath, 37, from Goolur Hobli in Tumakuru taluk, to the post of excise guard.
The court said an eligible unemployed candidate should not become the victim of a printing mistake made by officials in an SSLC marks card. It also stressed the need for a transparent and accountable administrative system, according to a report by Prajavani.
The case arose from recruitment to male excise guard posts for which the Karnataka Public Service Commission issued a notification in 2008. Manjunath, from Kallipalya in Tumakuru taluk, had applied under the Scheduled Caste and Kannada-medium category and secured 231 marks in the competitive examination.
During the verification of original documents, officials found that his transfer certificate and other records listed his date of birth as June 15, 1982, while his SSLC marks card carried June 15, 1980. Manjunath informed the authorities that the difference had resulted from a printing error. He was given time to submit a corrected marks card.
Because he could not submit the corrected document within the prescribed period, the KPSC selected another candidate who had scored fewer marks and published its final list. Manjunath challenged the decision before the KAT, which directed that he be given the appointment. The state government subsequently approached the High Court against that order.
The High Court observed that students and parents cannot be held responsible for errors made by officials in school records. It said administrative negligence should not cause an unemployed person to lose his livelihood. The bench also noted that the KPSC recruitment process allowed candidates to submit any one of an SSLC marks card, transfer certificate or another document as proof of date of birth.
According to the court, the KPSC was at fault for failing to consider the transfer certificate, which contained the correct date of birth. The government could not take away the candidate’s employment on the basis of an official error, the bench held.
The ruling places responsibility on recruitment authorities to assess inconsistencies across official records rather than automatically penalising candidates for clerical mistakes. For applicants competing for public employment, the case also underlines the importance of timely document correction and the consequences of missing verification deadlines. The state government has been directed to complete Manjunath’s appointment within eight weeks.
