In Brief
The Karnataka Public Service Commission conducted a selection for 362 Group A and D posts in 2012-2013, but complaints of malpractices, including alleged bribery of KPSC officials, emerged. The State annulled the selection and withdrew the requisition. Selected candidates challenged this before the Administrative Tribunal, which directed their appointment. The High Court set aside the Tribunal's order, upholding the annulment based on evidence of systemic corruption. The Supreme Court affirmed that when a selection process is compromised, authorities may annul it without segregating individual candidates. Judicial intervention at pre-appointment stage is limited to cases of patent arbitrariness or malafides. The Court disposed the appeals while permitting parties to argue whether the written examination alone was untainted.
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