In Brief
Ashish Kumar applied for the post of Psychologist advertised by Uttar Pradesh's Social Welfare Department. Though he held a B.A. and M.A. in Psychology, he lacked L.T./B.T./B.Ed. training qualifications. He passed the written test and was selected, but was denied appointment at document verification. The High Court upheld the denial, interpreting the advertisement as requiring both Psychology graduation AND teacher training. The Supreme Court held that the advertisement used a stroke (/) to indicate alternative qualifications, not cumulative ones. Moreover, under the 1991 statutory rules governing recruitment, M.A. in Psychology was the essential qualification; B.Ed. was merely preferable. As the appellant fulfilled the statutory essential qualification and was already selected, denying him the appointment letter was illegal. The Court ordered his immediate appointment."
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