Jasbir Rani & Ors vs State Of Punjab & Anr

The Supreme Court addressed the validity of the cut-off date for age eligibility in the recruitment of Panchayat Secretaries under the Punjab Panchayat Secretaries (Recruitment and Conditions of Services) Rules, 1979. The Court held that the High Court's dismissal of the writ petitions was justified, as the same cut-off date was rationally applied for both male and female candidates for the same vacancies. The Court affirmed that the rule allows for age eligibility to be assessed at the time of appointment, but the fixed cut-off date was not arbitrary given the context of the recruitment process.