No. 2634/2013 with Civil Appeal No.2635/2013 and Civil Appeal No.2636/2013, 2024 INSC 847, wherein law has been laid down that recruitment process commences from the issuance of the advertisement calling for applications and ends with filling up of vacancies and further it has been held that eligibility criteria for being placed in the Select List, notified at the commencement of the recruitment process, cannot be changed midway through the recruitment process unless the extant Rules so permit, or the advertisement, which is not contrary to the extant Rules, so permit. Even if such change is permissible under the extant Rules or the advertisement, the change would have to meet the requirement of Article 14 of the Constitution of India and satisfy the test of non-arbitrariness. However, it has been concluded that the recruiting bodies, subject to the extant Rules, may devise appropriate procedure for bringing the recruitment process to its logical end provided the procedure so adopted is transparent, non-discriminatory/ non-arbitrary and has a rational nexus to the object sought to be achieved. Further, conclusion has been arrived at that to that extant Rules having statutory force are binding on the recruiting body both in terms of procedure and eligibility. However, where the Rules are non-existent, or silent, administrative
