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Madras High Court· 24 July 2026

By when must a candidate challenge an illegality in a recruitment notification?

3.S.Selvaraj 4.M.Govindarajulu 5.S.Girija 6.N.Subramani 7.A.Chandralega 8.Y.Devendiran v. 1.The State of Tamil Nadu Rep. By its Principal Secretary to Government Human Resources Development Department Fort St. George, Chennai – 600 009
W.A.No.1847 of 2023 · W.A.No.1847 of 2023
Coram: Justice S.M.Subramaniam · Justice N.Senthilkumar · Justice N. Senthilkumar
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Answer

An aggrieved person must challenge an illegality in the Recruitment Notification before completion of the process of selection, or approach the Court immediately without undue delay upon learning of it after publication of the selected list.

Headnote

The Tamil Nadu Government Servants (Conditions of Service) Act, 2016 — s.26 — s.27 — Recruitment selection — Delay and laches — Fence-sitter doctrine — The Tamil Nadu Government Servants (Conditions of Service) Act, 2016 — s.26 — Challenge to selection list on reservation grounds — belated writ barred — Held: A candidate who participates in a selection process and allows it to conclude cannot, after issuance of appointment orders, challenge the selection list as illegal on the ground that reservation for women and PSTM candidates was treated as vertical reservation contrary to the notification. (¶6) Delay and laches — writ filed three years after notification and one year after appointments — acquiescence — Held further: A writ petition instituted about three years from the date of notification and one year from the date of appointment of selected candidates, and only after a subsequent Division Bench judgment in an unrelated batch, is barred by delay and laches amounting to acquiescence. (¶6) Recruitment process — timing of challenge — illegality in notification must be raised before completion of selection — Held further: An aggrieved person must challenge an illegality in a recruitment notification before completion of the process of selection, or immediately upon coming to know of it after publication of the selected list, and cannot wait until after appointment orders are issued. (¶7) Fence-sitters — no writ after completion of selection and appointment — Pandora's box — Held further: Fence-sitters who allow the selection process to conclude and appointments to be made are not entitled to maintain a writ petition thereafter, since entertaining such a challenge would open a Pandora's box for other similarly placed unsuccessful candidates; the writ appeal and writ petition are dismissed. (¶8, 9)

In the Court's own words
Paragraph 7This Court is of the considered view that if there is any illegality in the Recruitment Notification, an aggrieved person has to challenge the same before completion of process of selection. If the process of selection is tainted and candidates came to know it after publication of selected list, then such aggrieved persons have to approach the Court immediately without causing any undue delay.
Acts & Sections
s.26 The Tamil Nadu Government Servants (Conditions of Service) Act, 2016s.27 The Tamil Nadu Government Servants (Conditions of Service) Act, 2016

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Also decided in this judgment
Can a candidate challenge a selection list after appointment orders under it are already issued?Are fence-sitters who let a selection process conclude entitled to file a writ petition afterwards?
Plain-language answer prepared by the LexStreak Editorial Desk — verify against the judgment. Source: Madras High Court. Corrections