- (1.) The moot question, in the instant writ application, for adjudication is of rule of "rounding off" of numbers.
(2.) Shorn off unnecessary details, the indispensable and undisputed material facts, essential for adjudication on the question of rounding off of numbers, are: that the petitioner acquired a Degree of Engineering in Electrical Branch (AMIE), from the Institution of Engineers (India), Calcutta, in the month of September,1998. The petitioner secured 59.9% marks out of 1000 i.e. 59.9%. The petitioner submitted her application form, in response to an advertisement dated 28th June, 2003 issued by the Ajmer Vidhyut Vitran Nigam Ltd. (AVVNL) (respondent No.2), for recruitment on the 29 vacancies of Junior Engineers. She also applied for consideration of her candidature in response to yet another advertisement dated 8th July, 2003, issued by the Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Ltd. (respondent No.1). The fact that an eligible candidate was required to possess minimum 60% of the marks in the Degree obtained, in the general category, is not in dispute. The petitioner who was short of .01% marks, for having secured 599 marks out of 1000; was declined appointment for being ineligible in terms of the advertisement, wherein a candidate of a general category, was required to possess minimum 60% marks.
(3.) The learned counsel for the petitioner reiterating the pleaded facts, of the writ application, emphatically argued that applying the general principle of "rounding-off" of the marks, 0.50% would normally be rounding off to the next digit and therefore, the application of the petitioner ought to have been treated as eligible since she had secured 59.9%. Though the learned counsel has pleaded that appointments have been accorded to the candidates lower in merit, but no material has been brought on record to substantiate the allegations.;