Rajasthan HC cancels peon recruitment result over zero-mark selection row
The Rajasthan High Court has cancelled the Rajasthan peon recruitment result and asked the Staff Selection Board to set minimum qualifying marks after candidates with zero marks were selected over applicants with negative scores.
The Rajasthan High Court has cancelled the result of the state’s massive Class IV recruitment drive after questioning the logic behind selecting candidates with zero marks while rejecting applicants who scored in negative numbers.
The court also directed the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board to frame a clear minimum qualifying marks rule for the examination.
The case relates to Rajasthan’s fourth-grade recruitment examination conducted for 53,749 posts. The exam was held in September 2025 and the result was declared on January 16, 2026.
The recruitment had attracted huge attention as many job seekers in Rajasthan had been waiting for years for a large-scale peon recruitment drive.
WHY THE COURT INTERVENED
The controversy began after several candidates under reserved categories such as differently-abled, widow, divorced women, ex-servicemen and Saharia quota were declared successful despite scoring zero marks in the exam.
At the same time, some candidates who secured negative marks were denied selection even when vacancies reportedly remained unfilled in their category.
The matter reached the Rajasthan High Court after Vinod Kumar, an ex-serviceman candidate from the OBC category, filed a petition challenging the recruitment process.
Vinod Kumar had scored minus 0.6 marks and argued that he was denied appointment even though posts in the ex-serviceman OBC category were vacant.
‘IF ZERO IS VALID, WHY NOT NEGATIVE?’
During the hearing, the petitioner argued that the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board’s recruitment rule was unfair and lacked proper logic.
Advocate Harendra Neel, appearing for the petitioner, told the court that the board had not fixed any minimum qualifying marks for passing the examination.
The court also questioned the absence of a benchmark for deciding merit. Justice Anand Sharma observed that without minimum qualifying marks, it becomes difficult to determine how a candidate scoring zero marks is considered more suitable than someone who attempted questions and received negative marks.
The court effectively raised a simple but sharp question: “If a job can be given at zero marks, then why not on negative marks?”
COURT ORDERS FRESH PROCESS
After hearing the matter, the Rajasthan High Court cancelled the recruitment result and directed the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board to create a proper qualifying criteria for the examination.
The court said the board must decide minimum qualifying marks and then prepare the result again on that basis.
CANDIDATES EXPRESS ANGER
The decision has triggered strong reactions among candidates waiting for appointments. Many job aspirants accused the recruitment board of creating confusion through inconsistent rules.
Several candidates also criticised Rajasthan Staff Selection Board chairman Alok Raj, claiming repeated delays and changing decisions are increasing frustration among unemployed youth in the state.
The recruitment drive remains one of Rajasthan’s biggest government hiring exercises in recent years, making the court’s order a major development for thousands of candidates awaiting final appointments.
The Rajasthan High Court has cancelled the result of the state’s massive Class IV recruitment drive after questioning the logic behind selecting candidates with zero marks while rejecting applicants who scored in negative numbers.
The court also directed the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board to frame a clear minimum qualifying marks rule for the examination.
The case relates to Rajasthan’s fourth-grade recruitment examination conducted for 53,749 posts. The exam was held in September 2025 and the result was declared on January 16, 2026.
The recruitment had attracted huge attention as many job seekers in Rajasthan had been waiting for years for a large-scale peon recruitment drive.
WHY THE COURT INTERVENED
The controversy began after several candidates under reserved categories such as differently-abled, widow, divorced women, ex-servicemen and Saharia quota were declared successful despite scoring zero marks in the exam.
At the same time, some candidates who secured negative marks were denied selection even when vacancies reportedly remained unfilled in their category.
The matter reached the Rajasthan High Court after Vinod Kumar, an ex-serviceman candidate from the OBC category, filed a petition challenging the recruitment process.
Vinod Kumar had scored minus 0.6 marks and argued that he was denied appointment even though posts in the ex-serviceman OBC category were vacant.
‘IF ZERO IS VALID, WHY NOT NEGATIVE?’
During the hearing, the petitioner argued that the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board’s recruitment rule was unfair and lacked proper logic.
Advocate Harendra Neel, appearing for the petitioner, told the court that the board had not fixed any minimum qualifying marks for passing the examination.
The court also questioned the absence of a benchmark for deciding merit. Justice Anand Sharma observed that without minimum qualifying marks, it becomes difficult to determine how a candidate scoring zero marks is considered more suitable than someone who attempted questions and received negative marks.
The court effectively raised a simple but sharp question: “If a job can be given at zero marks, then why not on negative marks?”
COURT ORDERS FRESH PROCESS
After hearing the matter, the Rajasthan High Court cancelled the recruitment result and directed the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board to create a proper qualifying criteria for the examination.
The court said the board must decide minimum qualifying marks and then prepare the result again on that basis.
CANDIDATES EXPRESS ANGER
The decision has triggered strong reactions among candidates waiting for appointments. Many job aspirants accused the recruitment board of creating confusion through inconsistent rules.
Several candidates also criticised Rajasthan Staff Selection Board chairman Alok Raj, claiming repeated delays and changing decisions are increasing frustration among unemployed youth in the state.
The recruitment drive remains one of Rajasthan’s biggest government hiring exercises in recent years, making the court’s order a major development for thousands of candidates awaiting final appointments.
