The Kerala High Court has ruled that a candidate pursuing a degree course with two main subjects is entitled to have the advantage of holding qualifications in both subjects.

In this case, a candidate with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Arabic and Islamic History from Calicut University was deemed ineligible by the Public Service Commission (PSC) for a position requiring a degree in Arabic. The ineligibility was attributed to the dual major nature of his degree. 

The division bench comprising Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque and Justice P. Krishna Kumar noted that the inclusion of an additional subject in the main degree does not imply that the candidate does not hold a BA degree in Arabic.

 “As seen from the order of the University in Kerala, this is a double main degree of the University and it is equivalent to BA Arabic or BA Islamic History. That means, a candidate who undergoes such a programme will have the advantage of two main degrees.”

The Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) invited applications for the position of full-time junior Language teacher in Arabic-LPS, requiring a degree in Arabic as a mandatory qualification.

However, an applicant with a double main degree—BA in Arabic and Islamic History from Calicut University—was deemed ineligible by the PSC. Then the matter was heard before the Tribunal, which ruled against the PSC. Thus, aggrieved by the same, the PSC challenged the ruling of the Tribunal before the High Court through this original petition.

The court observed that the applicant effectively holds the advantage of two main degrees.

 It emphasised this point while considering the eligibility criteria in question.

“That means, a candidate who undergoes such a programme will have the advantage of two main degrees. The mere inclusion of an additional subject in a main degree does not imply that the individual lacks a degree in one of the main subjects. University is the expert body. They considered the double main degree to be equivalent to a single degree programme.”

The Court also considered a government notification dated November 25, 2010, which recognised a triple main degree as equivalent to a degree in any of the subjects. 

“As per Annexure A20, the Government also acknowledged that a triple main degree is equivalent to a particular main degree in any of the subjects, provided such a degree is obtained through regular study from a recognised University.”

Consequently, the Public Service Commission's (PSC) original petition was dismissed.

Case Title: The Kerala Public Service Commission v. Aboobacker Mattayi, OP(KAT)/266/2020

Advocate for Petitioners: Adv. Sri.P.C.Sasidharan