In Brief
The Union of India challenged a High Court order directing the Department of Income Tax to award grace marks to Mukesh Kumar Meena, an ST-category employee who had passed a departmental examination under relaxed SC/ST standards. Although Meena fell two marks short of the higher general category passing standard, he had met the minimum requirement for his own category. The Supreme Court held that grace marks exist only to enable marginally failing candidates to pass within their category. Since Meena had already passed under ST-category standards, he was ineligible for additional grace marks to retrospectively qualify under general category standards. The Court allowed the appeal, restored the Tribunal's order, and quashed the High Court's judgment.
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