R.Arunpandian v. Tamilnadu Public Service Commission
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS
Dated : 25.03.2026
CORAM
THE HONOURABLE Ms. JUSTICE P.T. ASHA W.P.No. 25732 of 2025 & W.M.P.Nos. 28922, 28924 & 28925 of 2025 R.Arunpandian
...Petitioner
Vs.
1.Tamilnadu Public Service Commission, Rep. by its Chairman, TNPSC Road, Broadway, Chennai - 600 003.
2.Dr.Ambedkar Law University Rep. By its Registrar, Greenways Road, Chennai - 600 028.
3.The Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Secretariat, Fort. St. George, Chennai.
...Respondents
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(R2 and R3 are suo motu impleaded by orders of this Court today i.e., 25.03.2026) Prayer: Writ Petition is filed under Section 226 of the Constitution of India for issue of Writ of Certiorarified Mandamus, to call for the records of the respondent in his proceedings - "Combined Technical Service Examination (Interview Posts] - II List - Physical Certificate Verification and Interview (List-3) (Phase-I) dated 27.06.2025 and to quash the same as being unsustainable in law insofar as it mentions in the Annexure that the petitioner has not been considered for not satisfying the eligibility conditions No.12/2024 dated 30.08.2024 and for a consequential direction to the respondent to consider the petitioner for the post of College Librarian (Law) and College Librarian [Higher Education] and appoint him accordingly.
For Petitioner :
Mrs. N.Kavitha Rameshwar For Respondent 1:
Mr. R.Bharanidharan Standing Counsel For Respondent 3:
Mr. M.R.Gokul Krishnan Additional Government Pleader 2/13
O R D E R
This writ petition is filed for the following relief: "To call for the records of the respondent in his proceedings - "Combined Technical Service Examination (Interview Posts] - II List - Physical Certificate Verification and Interview (List-3) (Phase-I) dated 27.06.2025 and to quash the same as being unsustainable in law insofar as it mentions in the Annexure that the petitioner has not been considered for not satisfying the eligibility conditions No.12/2024 dated 30.08.2024 and for a consequential direction to the respondent to consider the petitioner for the post of College Librarian (Law) and College Librarian [Higher Education] and appoint him accordingly"
2. Dr.Ambedkar Law University, represented by its Registrar, Greenways Road, Chennai - 600 028 and the Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Secretariat, Fort. St. George, Chennai are impleaded as R2 and R3, as they are necessary parties to this writ petition.
3. The brief facts are as follows.
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4. The petitioner completed B.Com, in the year 2010. Thereafter, completed Master of Library and Information Science (M.LIS) in Library and Information Science in the year 2012. He had also acquired State Eligibility Test (SET) in the year 2012. Thereafter, he had passed National Eligibility Test - UGC - NET in the subject - Library and Information Science in the year 2018, followed by acquiring Ph.D. in the year 2020.
5. The petitioner as on date is working as a Teaching Fellow in Library at University College of Engineering, BIT Campus, Anna University, Trichy. While so, the respondent had published the notification dated 30.08.2024 to the posts included in Combined Technical Services Examination (Interview Posts) II. Pursuant to the above notification, the petitioner submitted his application for the post of College Librarian (Law) and College Librarian [Higher Education] Code 3003 and 3004 by application dated 07.09.2024. 4/13
6. The petitioner had participated in the written examination held on 18.11.2024. Thereafter, the respondent had published the list for onscreen certificate verification on 28.04.2025, wherein, the petitioner's name was found for the post of College Librarian (Law) and College Librarian (Higher Education). Thereafter, the respondent published the list of candidates who have been admitted provisionally to the onscreen certificate verification for the said posts are instructed to re-upload the documents through OTR from 09.05.2025 to 23.05.2025. The petitioner was also asked to upload the following documents:
(i)Community certificate (ii)Experience Certificate in correct format. (iii)UG degree certificate.
Pursuant to the same, the petitioner uploaded all the documents on 22.05.2025.
7. On 27.06.2025, the respondent published the list of candidates who have been selected / eligible for Physical Certificate Verification in 5/13
respect of whom, interview was to be held on 16.07.2025. However, the petitioner's name was not found in the eligible candidates list. Instead, it was included in the 'ineligible list'.
8. The petitioner immediately approached the respondent and enquired about non-inclusion of his name in the eligible list. However, there is no response to the said query. He had also made several representations dated 03.07.2025, 04.07.2025 requesting the respondent to include his name. Further, the respondent did not publish the marks of the candidates to date. Therefore, the petitioner has come forward with this writ petition.
9. A counter affidavit has been filed by the respondent stating that the petitioner had claimed that he had possessed experience as a Temporary Teaching Fellow in University College of Engineering BIT Campus Anna Univerity, Tiruchirappalli for 11 years and 9 months during the period from 23.07.2013 till 30.11.2023. However, the same was not in a prescribed format. Thereafter, he had uploaded the same during the extended period. The same was forwarded to the three 6/13
member committee appointed by the HOD and they had not accepted the said documents for the following reasons: "The candidate has produced his practical experience certificate in prescribed format and the candidate working as Temporary - Teaching Fellow as per the Notification No.12/2024, Teaching Fellow is not equivalent prescribed experience.
Therefore, the experience certificate cannot be accepted."
Therefore, based on the above observation, the respondents had decided to reject the application of the petitioner.
10. When the matter had come up on 11.03.2026, this Court had directed the 1st respondent that the results be produced before this Court in a sealed cover. Today, the same has been produced along with the report.
11. A perusal of the report would show that the petitioner herein had secured a total of 253.50 marks in the written examination. He belongs to MBC / DC category. The cut off mark for this category for 7/13
the post of College Librarian (Post Code 3003) is 282, whereas the cut off mark for the post of College Lecturer (Post Code 3004) is 249.
12. Further, the grading of the petitioner is outstanding and this grading has been awarded by consensus based on the candidate's personality, bearing, aptitude, general knowledge etc.,
13. Therefore, it is clear that the petitioner had not only secured the requisite marks but had also been graded outstanding. However, the reason for not considering him was that his experience certificate had not been produced in the requisite format.
14. The eligibility criteria for the post of College Lecturer (Post Code 3004), to which post the petitioner is eligible considering his mark, requisite qualification is a master's degree in Librarian Science, Information Science or Documentation Science or an equivalent professional degree with atleast 55% marks.
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15. Further, a candidate should have one year PG diploma in Library Automation and Networking or an experience for a period of not less than one year as a Librarian or Assistant Librarian or Library Assistant or cataloger in a Library, wherein, Library automation software is used.
16. A perusal of the petitioner's experience certificate shows that he has an experience for 11 years 9 months 17 days as an Assistant Librarian.
17. The learned counsel for the respondents contention is that as against designation, the petitioner has been described as a Temporary Teaching fellow in library. Therefore, the committee had rejected his candidature.
18. In the experience certificate which has been produced by the petitioner as per format, the Registrar has certified as follows: 9/13
"......
Nature of the work / duty performed by the employee (To be mentioned in brief) Enclosed Period of Experience From 23.07.2013 to 09.05.2025 Total Experience 11 years 9 months 17 days Whether attendance Registrar / Attendance Rolls/ Pay Register and other records available for this employee Yes Whether Library Automation software is being used in the Library?
Yes Name of the institution University College, of Engineering, BIT Campus, tiruchirapalli.
Type of Organisation / Institution (State Government / Central Government / Quasi Government / PSU / Private) Anna University University College of Engineering, Tiruchirapalli This is to certify that Thiru. R.Arun Pandian possesses above said experience as a Assistant Librarian in the library, (the library automation software is being used in this library) as on date of notification (i.e., 30.08.2024). The above particulars furnished by me are correct.) 10/13
19. Therefore, it is clear that the petitioner has an experience of 11 years 9 months and 17 days as an Assistant Librarian and has therefore qualified the eligibility criteria both in terms of experience as well as qualification. That apart, the Interview Committee has also graded the petitioner as outstanding.
20. In view of the above, this writ petition is allowed. The respondents are directed to consider the petitioner eligible for the post within a period of 1 month from the date of receipt of a copy of this order. Consequently, the connected miscellaneous petitions are closed. No costs.
25.03.2026 kan 11/13
To 1.Tamilnadu Public Service Commission, Rep. by its Chairman, TNPSC Road, Broadway, Chennai - 600 003.
2.Dr.Ambedkar Law University Rep. By its Registrar, Greenways Road, Chennai - 600 028.
3.The Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Secretariat, Fort. St. George, Chennai.
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P.T. ASHA, J kan 25.03.2026 13/13