Haryana Amends CET Policy: Eliminates Bonus Marks Based on Socioeconomic Criteria for Govt Jobs

The Haryana government has amended its Common Eligibility Test (CET) policy, scrapping the 5% bonus marks earlier given to candidates based on socioeconomic criteria for Group C and D government jobs.

This decision comes in response to a May 31 judgment of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The Haryana Cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, approved the changes on December 28.

According to the official statement, the amendment removes the 5% weightage for candidates from Haryana who fulfilled certain socioeconomic criteria. This change was made in accordance with the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The revised policy, now called the “Recruitment Policy for Group C and D posts under the Common Eligibility Test (Amendment) Rules, 2024”, will govern the recruitment to these posts.

Earlier in May, the Punjab and Haryana High Court invalidated the state government’s policy of awarding bonus marks on the basis of socioeconomic status to CET candidates seeking Group C and D posts. The Supreme Court upheld this decision in June after the Commission of Haryana Staff Selection challenged the decision.

The new policy states that the amended rules will apply to direct recruitment for Group C posts, including those in the police, prisons and wardens service, except for teaching posts, ex-Agniveers and Group D posts requiring education below the matriculation level.

Furthermore, the amendment increases the number of eligible candidates authorized to take the qualification and/or written examination from 4 times to 10 times the number of advertised vacancies.

The Cabinet further approved an ordinance to amend the Haryana Contractual Employees (Security of Service) Act, 2024. This amendment changes the phrase from “within a calendar year” to “during a period of one year of contractual service”. The adjustment is intended to address concerns raised by contract employees regarding the calculation of days of service. Previously, employees who joined between May and December faced challenges meeting the 240-day service requirement because of the way days of service were counted in a calendar year.

For example, employees who joined after May and before December often did not meet the 240-day requirement in their first year of service, putting their job security at risk. In response, the Haryana Cabinet has now amended the rule to calculate the required days of service over a period of one year of contractual service, thereby ensuring better job security for these employees.

The Haryana Contractual Employees (Security of Service) Amendment Act, 2024 will apply to those contractual employees who complete five years of service before August 15, 2024.

(With inputs from PTI)