Non-Publication of Marks Does Not Imply Candidates Passed Exam: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court set aside a Calcutta High Court order that directed the appointment of candidates whose marks were not disclosed during a recruitment drive at Durgapur Steel Plant.

The bench held that if recruitment rules or advertisements do not mandate the publication of marks, non-disclosure does not create a right to appointment.

The Court clarified that an adverse inference cannot be drawn against a recruiter for not publishing results of unsuccessful candidates.

Furthermore, the absence of records, which were destroyed after the process, was deemed bona fide, and could not be used to infer that candidates had passed the examination.

[Durgapur Steel Plant & Ors. v Bidhan Chandra Chowdhury & Ors.]