In Brief
The Nagaland Public Service Commission sought to recruit a Lecturer in Chemistry with M.Sc. in Biochemistry, treating Biochemistry as equivalent to Chemistry. The Supreme Court held that a Public Service Commission is bound by prescribed qualifications and cannot substitute or improve them, even with expert opinion. Since M.Sc. in Biochemistry does not match the required M.Sc. in Chemistry, the appeals were dismissed. However, the State Government may amend the qualification criteria if candidates are unavailable and may relax age restrictions if new instructions make the candidate eligible under reservation principles.
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