Pramod Kumar Srivastava
Vs. Chairman, Bihar Public Service Commission, Patna and Other [2004] Insc 433
(6 August 2004)
Cji, G. P. Mathur & C. K.
Thakker. (Arising out of Special Leave Petition [C]No. 13322 of 2003) G.P.
Mathur, J.
Leave granted.
2. The writ petitioner has preferred this appeal by Special Leave against
the judgment and order dated 16-4-2003 of a Division Bench of Patna High Court
by which the Letters Patent Appeal preferred by Bihar Public Service Commission
(hereinafter referred to as 'the Commission') was allowed and the judgment and
order dated 11-9-2001 of a learned Single Judge whereby a direction was given
to the Commission to reconsider the case of the appellant after treating his
marks in the General Science paper as 63 was set aside.
3. For holding the Judicial Services (Competitive) Examination, 1999, the
Commission issued an advertisement on 19-4-1999. The appellant appeared in the
written examination which was held from 25th to 31st January, 2000. After the viva voce examination, the final result was declared on 6-8-2000. The appellant did not qualify in the written examination and was not called for interview.
A copy of the mark-sheet was sent to him on 1-1-2001. He applied for scrutiny of his marks in General Science paper wherein he had secured 35 marks. The
Commission found that there was no mistake and, accordingly, an intimation to
that effect was sent to him on 18-7-2001. Thereafter, the appellant preferred a
writ petition in the High Court wherein the main prayer made was that a
direction be issued to the Commission to re-evaluate his General Science paper.
It was averred in the writ petition that he had secured very good marks in all
other papers, namely, General Hindi, General Knowledge, Law of Evidence &
Procedure, Transfer of Property and Personal Law etc, and had also answered the
questions in General Science paper correctly and, therefore, he should have
been awarded much higher marks in the said paper.
4. In the counter affidavit filed by the Commission before the learned
Single Judge it was pleaded that in the rules, there was only a provision for
scrutiny and there was no provision for re-evaluation of the answer-books.
The appellant had applied for scrutiny of his marks in General Science paper
which was done and no mistake had been found and the marks remained the same,
namely, 35. It was further pleaded that a centralized mode of evaluation is
adopted by the Commission wherein examiners approved and selected by the
Commission are required to examine the answer-books under the guidance of a
Head Examiner. In order to avoid vagaries of wide difference in standard in
awarding marks, the Bihar Public Service Commission follows the pattern of
Union Public Service Commission wherein the Head Examiner with the assistance
of other examiners prepares a model answer and this is used as guidance by all
other examiners while examining the answer-books, and by this process a uniform
standard in awarding marks is maintained. It was also submitted that in absence
of any provision in the rules for re-evaluation of the answer-books, the said
exercise cannot be done and any direction for re-evaluation will open a
floodgate for other candidates to come out with similar plea which will
ultimately cause a great delay in declaring the final result.
5. The learned Single Judge issued a direction to the Commission to produce
the answer-book of the appellant of General Science paper after he had
deposited an amount of Rs.5000/- by way of security. The answer-book was shown
to the standing counsel for Patna University, who apparently had science
background, and, he was of the opinion that the appellant deserved more marks.
The learned Single Judge then directed the standing counsel for the Patna University
to have the answer-book re-evaluated by expert teachers through the Principal, Science
College, Patna. A photocopy of the answer-book (after blacking out the marks
awarded by the examiner of the Commission) was handed over to the said counsel.
After fresh evaluation of the answer-book by two experts, viz., a Physics
teacher and a Biology teacher of Patna Science College, the answer-book was
returned to the Court by the counsel. In that fresh evaluation, the appellant
was awarded 63 marks as against 35 marks which had been awarded to him by the
examiner of the Commission. The writ petition was allowed and a direction was
issued to the Commission to re-consider the case of the appellant treating his
marks in General Science paper as 63.
6. The Commission preferred a Letters Patent appeal against the aforesaid
judgment and order of the learned Single Judge which was allowed by the
Division Bench by the impugned judgment and order dated 16-4-2003 and the order of the learned Single Judge was set aside.
7. We have heard the appellant (writ-petitioner) in person and learned
counsel for the respondents at considerable length. The main question which
arises for consideration is whether the learned Single Judge was justified in
directing re-evaluation of the answer-book of the appellant in General Science
paper. Under the relevant rules of the Commission, there is no provision
wherein a candidate may be entitled to ask for re-evalution of his answer-book.
There is a provision for scrutiny only wherein the answer- books are seen for
the purpose of checking whether all the answers given by a candidate have been
examined and whether there has been any mistake in the totaling of marks of
each question and noting them correctly on the first cover page of the
answer-book. There is no dispute that after scrutiny no mistake was found in
the marks awarded to the appellant in the General Science paper. In the absence
of any provision for re-evaluation of answer- books in the relevant rules, no
candidate in an examination has got any right whatsoever to claim or ask for
re-evaluation of his marks. This question was examined in considerable detail
in Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education and
another v. Paritosh Bhupesh Kurmarsheth and others AIR 1984 SC 1543. In this
case, the relevant rules provided for verification (scrutiny of marks) on an
application made to that effect by a candidate. Some of the students filed writ
petitions praying that they may be allowed to inspect the answer-books and the
Board be directed to conduct re-evaluation of such of the answer-books as the
petitioners may demand after inspection. The High Court held that the rule
providing for verification of marks gave an implied power to the examinees to
demand a disclosure and inspection and also to seek re-evaluation of the
answer-books.
The judgment of the High Court was set aside and it was held that in absence
of a specific provision conferring a right upon an examinee to have his
answer-books re-evaluated, no such direction can be issued. There is no dispute
that under the relevant rule of the Commission there is no provision entitling
a candidate to have his answer-books re-evaluated. In such a situation, the
prayer made by the appellant in the writ petition was wholly untenable and the
learned Single Judge had clearly erred in having the answer-book of the
appellant re-evaluated.
8. Adopting such a course as was done by the learned Single Judge will give
rise to practical problems. Many candidates may like to take a chance and pray
for re-evaluation of their answer-books. Naturally, the Court will pass orders
on different dates as and when writ petitions are filed. The Commission will
have to then send the copies of individual candidates to examiners for
re-evaluation which is bound to take time. The examination conducted by the
Commission being a competitive examination, the declaration of final result
will thus be unduly delayed and the vacancies will remain unfilled for a long
time. What will happen if a candidate secures lesser marks in re-evaluation? He
may come forward with a plea that the marks as originally awarded to him may be
taken into consideration. The absence of clear rules on the subject may throw
many problems and in the larger interest, they must be avoided.
9. Even otherwise, the manner in which the learned Single Judge had the
answer-book of the appellant in General Science paper re-evaluated cannot be
justified. The answer-book was not sent directly by the Court either to the
Registrar of the Patna University or to the Principal of the Science College. A
photocopy of the answer-book was handed-over to the standing counsel for the Patna
University who returned the same to the Court after some time and a statement
was made to the effect that the same had been examined by two teachers of Patna
Science College. The names of the teachers were not even disclosed to the
Court. The examination in question is a competitive examination where the
comparative merit of a candidate has to be judged. It is, therefore, absolutely
necessary that a uniform standard is applied in examining the answer-books of
all the candidates. It is the specific case of the Commission that in order to
achieve such an objective, a centralized system of evaluation of answer-books
is adopted wherein different examiners examine the answer-books on the basis of
model answers prepared by the Head Examiner with the assistance of other
examiners. It was pleaded in the Letters Patent Appeal preferred by the
Commission and which fact has not been disputed that the model answer was not
supplied to the two teachers of the Patna Science College. There can be a
variation of standard in awarding marks by different examiners. The manner in
which the answer-books were got evaluated, the marks awarded therein cannot be
treated as sacrosanct and consequently the direction issued by the learned
Single Judge to the Commission to treat the marks of the appellant in General
Science paper as 63 cannot be justified.
10. We are, therefore, of the opinion that the view taken by the Division
Bench of the High Court is correct and calls for no interference.
11. The appeal is, accordingly, dismissed. There shall be no order as to
costs.
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