In Brief
Durgapur Steel Plant advertised 200 Plant Attendant posts in 2007; 52,000 applied and 29,459 took the written test. The company appointed 194 candidates but did not publish all candidates' marks or results. Unsuccessful applicants sued for disclosure of marks and appointment. Lower courts ordered appointments based on the company's failure to produce examination records. The Supreme Court reversed this, holding that non-production of records does not prove candidates passed the exam. Since recruitment rules did not require publishing all marks or preserving records indefinitely, the company's destruction of records was bona fide. The Court rejected appointment orders but awarded ₹5,00,000 to one respondent as compensation for the 18-year legal battle.
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