Prasanta Sarkar v. State Of West Bengal And ORS

Item No.54 13.02.2026 Court. No. 6 GB CALCUTTA HIGH COURT

IN THE CIRCUIT BENCH AT JALPAIGURI

APPELLATE SIDE WPA 893 of 2025 Prasanta Sarkar VS The State of West Bengal & Ors.

Mr. Firdous Samim, Ms. Gopa Biswas, Mr. D. Kundu ... for the Petitioner.

Mr. Nabankur Paul, Ms. Bedashruti Bose ... for the State.

1. Exception to the report filed by the District Library Officer, Alipurduar is taken on record.

2. Mr. Kundu, learned advocate for the petitioner submits that the advertisement indicated that a post in the Group-D category had been reserved for the ex-service men and the petitioner is an exservice man. Thus, the petitioner ought to have been empanelled and consequently appointed.

3. The recruitment notice was published for appointment to post of Librarian, in Government Sponsored Public Libraries, having the status of Rural Libraries. The said appointment was under the department of Mass Education Extension and Library Services, Government of

West Bengal. The number of vacancies advertised, were six. The post of Librarian was a Group-C post. The recruitment process was restricted to the post of Librarian under Group-C, by ignoring the vacancy in the Group-D post reserved for exservice men.

4. The petitioner applied for the post of Librarian, which is a Group-C post. Acknowledgment given to petitioner after submitting online application indicates that the application was filed for post of Librarian of the Government Sponsored Public Library. The advertisement did not indicate that there was any vacancy under the ex-service men category in the post of Librarian (Group-C). The admit card of the petitioner for the written examination was also issued for the post of Librarian. The petitioner appeared at the written examination, in the interview and for computer examination. In all the admit cards in the different stages of the recruitment process, the post has been mentioned as the post of Librarian of Government Sponsored Public Libraries having the status of Rural Library at Alipurduar.

5. Thus, the contention of the petitioner that he should have been treated as ex-service men in terms of the vacancy advertised for Group-D candidate, cannot be accepted by the Court

because the petitioner did not apply for the GroupD post. The vacancy in the Group-D was wrongly advertised which was detected and the recruitment process was restricted to the post of Librarian in the Group-C category. The total number of applications which were received pursuant to the advertisement was 339. 335 candidates were found to be eligible to appear in the written examination. The petitioner was one of them. Out of 335 candidates, 90 candidates including the petitioner appeared in the written examination. Out of 90 candidates, 29 candidates including the petitioner qualified and were called for the computer test in the ratio 1:7. 19 candidates including the petitioner were called for interview in the ratio 1:5. All the 19 candidates appeared at the interview. None were sponsored by the employment exchange in the EWS(EC) category and the post was kept vacant. One unreserved ex-service men Group-D Post was also kept vacant, which was decided be taken into consideration at the time of recruitment to the Group-D post.

6. The petitioner could not be treated as an ex-service men as he had not applied for the Group-D post but, the recruitment process was only for recruitment to the post of librarian. He had applied for the post of Librarian, was issued admit card for

the several rounds of selection, i.e., written examination, computer test and interview as a candidate who had applied for the Group-C post of Librarian. The final merit list was sent to the DLS for approval on February 7, 2024. The panel of four candidates as per the advertisement, apart from the ex-service men category Group-D has been finalized and approved by the DLS, West Bengal.

7. Under such circumstances, the prayer of the petitioner to treat him as a Group-D ex service men instead of Group-C in the recruitment process, cannot be allowed as the recruitment process was for appointment of Librarian in the Group-C category and the petitioner had also applied for such post. There was no reservation in the post of Librarian, for ex-service men. Vacancy in the Group-D was wrongly included in advertisement which was later found out and sought to be rectified by including the said vacancy in the recruitment process for the Group-D staff and ignoring the same for the subject recruitment process.

8. Accordingly the writ petition is disposed of.

9. However, this order is only restricted to the prayer of the petitioner for being treated as an ex-service men for the recruitment to the post of Librarian.

The authorities shall inform the petitioner about the fate of the recruitment process and the marks obtained by the petitioner. The marks secured by the last empanelled candidate, will also be provided.

Such information will reach petitioner within a period of three weeks from date of communication of this order.

10. Parties are directed to act on the basis of the server copy of this order.

(Shampa Sarkar, J.)