The Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed the operation of an advertisement issued for recruitment to the Punjab Civil Services (Executive Branch) after in-service candidates challenged the fixation of November 1, 2025, as the cut-off date for determining eligibility, despite the advertisement having been issued on June 5 this year. Among other things, the candidates contended that the cut-off date had been ‘tailor-made’.
The interim order was passed by Justice Harpreet Singh Brar while issuing notice of motion on a petition filed by Sandeep Singh and other petitioners. The matter has now been fixed for further hearing on August 24.
The advertisement was issued inviting applications for five posts in the Punjab Civil Services (Executive Branch) to be filled through Register-C, comprising members of Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’ services, serving in connection with the affairs of the State of Punjab.
The petitioners, serving as Junior Engineers (Electrical) in the Punjab Water Resources Department, had contended that they became eligible after acquiring the prescribed experience of eight years of continuous government service shortly after November 1, 2025, but well before the issuance of the recruitment advertisement on June 5.
They asserted that fixing November 1, 2025, as the cut-off date for determining eligibility arbitrarily excluded them from consideration for the five advertised posts, even though they had acquired the requisite service qualification before the commencement of the selection process.
Appearing for the petitioners, advocate BS Mittal contended that there was “no logic or rationale” in fixing November 1, 2025, as the eligibility cut-off date when the advertisement was issued more than seven months later. It was further argued that the cut-off date had been tailor-made to favour certain candidates and exclude other deserving candidates.
Mittal added that the respondent’s act and conduct was contrary to the principle of meritocracy and violative of violative of Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution. The petitioners also referred to Rule 6(4) of the Punjab Civil Services Rules (Executive Branch) (First Amendment) Rules, 2011, and argued that fixing a cut-off date seven months prior to the issuance of the advertisement was contrary to the statutory rules.
In response, Senior Additional Advocate-General Anu Chatrath, along with AAG Vikas Sonak, submitted that the cut-off date had been fixed in terms of Rule 6(4)(b), which provided that eligible candidates should be under 54 years of age on the first day of November immediately preceding the submission of names by the authorities concerned.
In rebuttal, Mittal argued that Rule 6(4)(b) applied only to candidates who had attained the age of 54 on the relevant date and had no nexus with Rule 6(4)(a), which required eight years of continuous government service. He contended that fixing November 1, 2025, as the cut-off date was arbitrary and not in accordance with the statutory rules.
After hearing the parties, Justice Brar ordered: “In the meantime, operation of the impugned advertisement shall remain stayed.”
