V.Harish v. The State Of Tamilnadu,
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS
DATED : 16.07.2025
CORAM
THE HONOURABLE Mr.JUSTICE C.KUMARAPPAN and W.M.P.Nos.17925, 17929 and 17933 of 2025 V.Harish ... Petitioner Vs.
1. The State of Tamil Nadu, Rep. by its Principal Secretary to Government, Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department, Fort St.George, Chennai - 600 009.
2. The Director of Municipal Administration, Directorate of Municipal Administration, No.75, Santhome High Road, Chennai - 600 028.
3. The Director, Entrance Examination Centre, Anna University, Sardar Patel Road, Chennai - 600 025.
... Respondents Writ Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India praying to issue a Writ of Certiorarified Mandamus, to call for the records of the second respondent Diploma Standard (Technical) Posts-Common Rank 1/7
List (CRL) published on 03.03.2025 and to quash the same as being illegal and unsustainable in law insofar as it does not publish the separate merit list based on the examination conducted for three categories for the posts in S.Nos.10, 11, 12, 13 & 15 and for a consequential direction to the respondents to publish the separate rank list for the posts in S.Nos.10, 11, 12, 13 & 15 based on the examination conducted for three categories pursuant to the recruitment notification No.01/DMA/Recruitment/2024 dated 02.02.2024 issued by the second respondent and appoint the petitioner accordingly. For Petitioner : Mrs.M.Kavitha Rameshwar For Respondent : Mr.M.Suresh Kumar, Additional Advocate General assisted by Dr.T.Seenivasan, Special Government Pleader (for R1 & R2) ****
O R D E R
The instant writ petition has been filed challenging the Common Rank List published on 03.03.2025.
2. The learned counsel for the petitioner would submit that, in pursuance of the notification dated 02.02.2024, the petitioner participated in the examination, where, according to the notification, there are three 2/7
different patterns of examination for the candidates upon their specialisation such as Civil, Mechanical and Electrical. He would further contend that, when there are different examinations, between different sets of candidates, then there should have been normalization or any scientific method while arriving at a Common Rank List, otherwise it would result in unequal merit between different sets of candidates.
3. However, the learned Additional Advocate General appearing for the first and second respondents would submit that the exam and merit list published as per the clauses stipulated in the notification. He would further contend that, when the petitioner has participated based upon the Rules stipulated in the notification dated 02.02.2024, after the release of the Common Rank List, he cannot turn around and challenge it to follow normalization. He would further submit that, now the selection list was also published on 05.07.2025.
4. I have given my anxious consideration to the submissions made by either side.
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5. While harmoniously reading the notification, it is noticed that, they are conducting common selection process for different types of post. Those posts admittedly require different qualifications. According to the petitioner, he applied for the posts mentioned in S.Nos.10 to 15 of the notification, wherein the requiring qualification is Diploma in either Civil (or), Mechanical, and that the candidates who possess Diploma in Civil, will have to write the examination in Civil Engineering syllabus. Likewise candidates having Diploma in Mechanical Engineering has to attend the exam in Mechanical Engineering syllabus. Therefore, their ability and merit will have to be determined based on their mark obtained in their core syllabus.
Though it was contended that normalization or any other scientific method has to be followed for preparation of common merit list, it is too late in the day to raise such contention, as the petitioner after reading the notification participated in the exam, and until the marks were published, he did not have any grievance. Therefore, now he cannot turnaround and say that there is defect in the rank list, as the list published, as stipulated in the recruitment notification.
6. Apart from that, the learned counsel for the petitioner would submit that, in the Common Rank List, among the first 2000 candidates, only 23 4/7
candidates had been selected from the candidates who possessed Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, and 1645 candidates have been selected from Civil Engineering stream. When this Court put a pertinent question as to how the petitioner identified those numbers, the learned counsel stated that the petitioner had conducted a manual study of the said applications. Even for argument sake if we take above the statistics are correct, when the rank list released as stipulated in the recruitment notification, without challenging the notification, the petitioner cannot challenge the subsequent rank list. We must keep in mind that this is not the rank list of different batches of examinations of the same syllabus. On the other hand, each syllabus, qua Mechanical, Civil, and Electrical, will have a different syllabus. Therefore, when there are three syllabuses, the question of normalization does not arise. As we know, the rules of the game cannot be changed after the game has begun.
7. In the case in hand, the petitioner, after participating in the examination, and only after the release of the Common Rank List, approached this Court. It is a well-settled principle of law that the notification has the force of a statute. Therefore, unless the petitioner 5/7
challenges the notification, he become ineligible to challenge the consequential action of publishing the merit list. Therefore, this Court does not find any merit in the present Writ Petition.
8. In the result, this Writ Petition is dismissed. Consequently, the connected Miscellaneous Petitions are closed. No costs. 16.07.2025 kv Index : Yes/No Speaking order /Non Speaking Order To
1. The Principal Secretary to Government, The State of Tamil Nadu, Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department, Fort St.George, Chennai - 600 009.
2. The Director of Municipal Administration, Directorate of Municipal Administration, No.75, Santhome High Road, Chennai - 600 028.
3. The Director, Entrance Examination Centre, Anna University, Sardar Patel Road, Chennai - 600 025.
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C.KUMARAPPAN, J.
kv 16.07.2025 7/7