No Automatic Relaxation for SC/ST Candidates in SFIO Prosecutor Appointment: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has held that SC/ST candidates do not possess a vested or enforceable right to seek relaxation of eligibility criteria in appointments to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO).

The Division Bench clarified that while the Union Public Service Commission may exercise discretion to relax criteria, such discretion does not create a legal entitlement.

The Court upheld the rejection of a candidate lacking requisite litigation experience and ruled that eligibility cannot be supplemented after the cut-off date.

Allowing post-deadline improvements, it observed, would undermine fairness and violate Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution.

[Anant Kumar Rao v. Union Public Service Commission & Ors.]