SRI ASHOK @ SOMANNA GOWDA vs THE STATE OF KARNATAKA

The Supreme Court held that the allocation of 50 marks for the interview out of a total of 150 marks in the Karnataka State Civil Services (Direct Recruitment by Selection) Rules, 1973, is excessive and violates established legal principles regarding merit-based selection. The Court noted that candidates with lower qualifying examination marks were selected due to high interview scores, which undermined the merit list. However, the Court declined to quash the selections made in 1987 due to the long-standing practice and lack of malafides, directing the State to appoint the appellants as Assistant Engineers if found suitable in all respects within two months.