General Manager (HR) vs K. Poovarasan 2026 INSC 581 Public Employment - Upper Limit Of Qualification

Public Employment -The rationale behind prescribing an upper limit of qualification is both reasonable and equitable, namely, to provide employment opportunities to persons who, owing to circumstances of life, could not pursue higher education. The State, as a model employer, is justified in reserving certain categories of posts for such persons so that they are not compelled to compete with more highly qualified candidates against whom they would ordinarily stand little chance of selection. When the post was specifically intended for candidates possessing lower educational qualifications, permitting a person with higher qualifications to secure such employment would necessarily result in depriving a genuinely eligible and deserving candidate of the opportunity. [Context: The Supreme Court upheld an employee’s dismissal from service on the ground of suppression of higher educational qualifications in the context of a post expressly reserved for candidates below a prescribed maximum qualification]