In Brief
A Supreme Court bench dismissed multiple writ petitions filed by candidates who failed to qualify for the Delhi Judicial Service 2015 Examination, challenging the minimum qualifying marks prescribed in both the written examination (40% in each subject; 50% aggregate) and viva voce test (45% for reserved category). The petitioners sought moderation of marks, revaluation of answer-sheets, relaxation of cut-off marks, and rounding off of marks. The Court held that moderation applies only where multiple examiners evaluate the same subject; revaluation cannot be ordered without statutory provision; minimum marks are necessary and reasonable to filter unsuitable candidates from judicial office; once candidates participate with knowledge of criteria, they are estopped from later challenging them; and marks cannot be rounded off to meet prescribed eligibility thresholds.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.