SC: Jammu & Kashmir Services Selection Board cannot change selection criteria after interview — Supreme Court of India upholds fairness principle

The Supreme Court of India today dismissed the appeal of the Jammu & Kashmir Services Selection Board challenging a High Court order directing creation of an additional post for candidates adversely affected by a post-interview change in selection criteria for forester recruitment. 

The recruiting authority had notified 38 forester vacancies requiring only 10+2 (Science) and physical standards. Accepted applications included candidates with 3-year or 4-year degrees in Forestry. After conducting interviews, the Board retrospectively divided the degrees into 3-year (20 marks) and 4-year (25 marks), giving extra weight to 4-year degree holders. This alteration drastically affected the selection list and disqualified several 3-year degree candidates. 

A Division Bench of a High Court held that once the interview stage is complete and the final evaluation process has begun, selection criteria cannot be changed: doing so disturbs the “rules of the game.” The Supreme Court — in a bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Prasanna B. Varale — concurred, observing that altering the evaluation scheme after interviews “unlawfully undermined the eligibility” of certain candidates. 

The Court affirmed established doctrine (as in K. Manjusree v. State of A.P. and related precedents) that eligibility criteria or benchmarks must be fixed before initiation of the selection process. Any change post-interview, without express provision in rules or advertisement, violates principles of fairness and equality under Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution. Verdictum+2Spotlaw+2

Implications: The ruling reinforces that public recruitment must adhere to the “rules of the game” announced at the outset. Recruitment agencies cannot shift goalposts after interviews, ensuring transparency and protection for candidates. The judgment will likely strengthen similar challenges in ongoing or future recruitments where post-interview modifications affect candidate eligibility.