Raj HC quashes additional 5% relaxation in recruitment exam, holds dilution of minimum standards impermissible

Jaipur: The Rajasthan High Court has held that minimum eligibility standards prescribed under recruitment rules cannot be diluted by granting additional relaxation, and any such attempt to expand the zone of consideration beyond statutory limits is arbitrary and unsustainable in law.

The Court struck down the grant of an additional 5% relaxation in permissible mistakes/errors in Phase-II of a recruitment process for the posts of Stenographer and Personal Assistant Grade-II, holding that such relaxation violated the governing rules and the terms of the advertisement.

The petitions, led by S.B. Civil Writ Petition No. 16386/2025, Dinesh Sharma & Others vs State of Rajasthan & Others, challenged the action of the State authorities and the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board in granting an additional 5% relaxation in the recruitment process pursuant to advertisement dated February 26, 2024.

The petitioners also sought quashing of the provisional merit list dated September 25, 2025, contending that the relaxation was contrary to Clause 22(6)(iv) of the advertisement and the applicable service rules.

The recruitment process was governed by the Rajasthan Secretariat Ministerial Service Rules, 1970 and the Rajasthan Subordinate Ministerial Service Rules, 1999, among others, for filling 444 vacancies in Non-TSP areas.

The central question before the Court was whether the Selection Board could grant additional relaxation in permissible errors beyond what was prescribed under the rules and advertisement, thereby effectively enlarging the pool of eligible candidates.

The High Court held that the action of granting additional relaxation was contrary to the statutory framework governing recruitment and undermined the integrity of the selection process.

The Court observed that recruitment rules prescribe minimum standards that must be strictly adhered to, any relaxation beyond the permissible limit amounts to altering eligibility criteria mid-process and administrative circulars cannot override statutory rules or dilute their effect

Rejecting the State’s reliance on a circular dated October 18, 2021, the Court held that such reliance was “wholly misplaced and untenable,” as it would render statutory restrictions meaningless.

A key observation of the Court was that relaxation cannot be used as a tool to enlarge the zone of consideration or include otherwise ineligible candidates.

The Court held that even for preparation of reserve or waiting lists, only candidates meeting minimum eligibility criteria can be considered, relaxation cannot be granted merely to fill vacancies or extend selection lists and diluting standards for administrative convenience defeats the purpose of merit-based recruitment

The Bench emphasized that permitting such relaxation would effectively circumvent the statutory scheme and compromise fairness in public employment.

The Court undertook a detailed analysis of Rule 22 of the 1970 Rules (both pre- and post-amendment), noting that while amendments may affect the size of the selection list, they do not authorize dilution of minimum qualifying standards.

It clarified that although the amended rules may expand the number of candidates in the merit list, they do not permit lowering of the prescribed benchmarks for qualification.

Holding the additional 5% relaxation to be illegal and arbitrary, the High Court quashed the impugned action and directed the authorities to proceed with the recruitment process strictly in accordance with the rules and advertisement.

The Court further directed that the entire exercise be completed within 45 days from receipt of the certified copy of the order.

Case Title
Dinesh Sharma & Others vs State of Rajasthan & Others

Case Number
S.B. Civil Writ Petition No. 16386/2025 (along with connected matters)

Court
High Court of Judicature for Rajasthan, Bench at Jaipur

Bench
Hon’ble Justice Anand Sharma

Date of Order
March 18, 2026