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A petition has been moved before the Allahabad High Court challenging the criteria of the Physical Eligibility Test as notified for the Excise Constable (General Selection) Examination 2016. Petitioners have alleged that the criteria of physical eligibility test for males and females have been fixed in a way that creates maximum chances for the selection of female candidates.

Notably, the Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission today declared the final result of this examination.

The plea, moved by one Pramod Kumar Singh and others through Advocates Binod Kumar Mishra and Ajay Kumar Rai, reads that the physical exam for female candidates has been made very easy and very difficult for male candidates and the merit is to be decided on the basis of physical test scores only.

The plea further avers that in such a situation, there is very less opportunity for selection for male candidates and hence the provision of separate parameters for female and male candidates in physical examination by the commission and to determine merit on the basis of marks obtained in that physical examination is a clear violation of Article 14, 15 and 16 of the Constitution.

The plea states that keeping in view the fundamental rights, the UPSSSC should make provision for scaling/normalization in the physical examination or any other option as it deems appropriate so that equal opportunities are made available for male and female candidates.

The plea has, therefore, sought Court's direction quashing the criteria of physical efficiency test contemplated in the notification of 2016 and to the respondent authorities to refix the new criteria for selection in physical efficiency test for both male and female candidates.

As per the plea, selection in the Excise Constable Exam 2016 used to be done on the basis of performance in running, long jump, cricket ball throw, and interview against the total of 100 marks. However, later on, a written exam of qualifying nature was also added.

The plea alleges that earlier, 100 marks were assigned to the physical examination and interview which were later revised, and 80 marks were kept for the two tests in which 60 marks were kept for the physical test and 20 marks for interview.

According to the plea, in the physical test of 60 marks, the race for men is 4.8 kilometers, long jump of 15 ft, 17 ft, 18 ft, and cricket ball throw is 61 meters (m), 63 m. and 65 m. while for female candidates the race is of 200 m, long jump is of 8 ft., 9.5 ft,10 ft, and cricket ball throw is kept at 12 m.,13 m. and 14 m. only.

Case Title: Pramod Kumar Singh and Others v. Union of India and Others