Srinagar: Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Monday dismissed as “without merit” several petitions, challenging “normalization process of Equi-Percentile Equating Method” adopted by the JKSSB as regards selection of 1540 posts of Junior Assistant in Jammu and Kashmir.
“In the present OA (Aboriginal Application), the applicants have challenged the decision of the respondents (JKSSB) in applying the Normalization method in the final selection. Although the applicants were informed well in advance in the advertisement itself, subsequently vide notices dated 27.10.2021 and 19.1.2022, they did not opt to challenge the same,” said a bench of D.S.Mahra (Member, Judicial) and Anand Mathur (Member Administrative).
“Rather, they participated in the process of selection and waited for the result. It was only after the tentative merit list was issued by the (JKSSB), the applicants challenged the procedure itself,” the Bench said, adding, “This conduct of the applicants cannot be appreciated.”
If the applicants were aggrieved by the procedure of normalization to be adopted by the JKSSB, the CAT bench said, they should have challenged the notices as well as the decision of the JKSSB to go for the normalization method before appearing in the exam or at least before the tentative Selection List was issued.”
The JKSSB had issued 1540 posts of Junior Assistant vide various advertisement notifications in 2020 and 2021. In the scheme of the examination it was provided that the criteria of selection will be 20 points for Skill Test and 80 points for Written Examination. The advertisement notices itself made clear that the result will be subject to adopting the “normalization process of Equi-Percentile Equating Method.”
The written test for the examination was conducted from 20 to 24 January last year.
A number of applicants challenged the use of “normalization process of Equi-Percentile Equating Method” and sought quashing and declaring null and void the process.
The bench said that Apex Court as well as various High Courts have refused to entertain petitions which have been filed by candidates who after participating in the selection process. “Moreover, the respondents (JKSSB) are yet to issue the final Select List of the successful candidates. As of today only a tentative Select List has been issued wherein names of some of the applicants are also figuring,” the Bench said, adding, “Even the applicants are not sure whether their names will eventually find a place in the final selection list or not.”
Subsequently the CAT held that the JKSSB was well within right and jurisdiction while adopting and applying the Normalization process called Equi-percentile Equating method in finalizing the selection process.
“We, therefore, find this OA to be devoid of merit and it is accordingly dismissed. All the MAs stand disposed of,” the bench said, adding, “Respondents are at liberty to proceed further to complete the process of selection and appointment of the candidates as per advertisement notifications and the scheme of examination.

KR Desk