Qualifications.

(1) The minimum general educational qualification wherever referred to in the special rules shall mean the qualification specified in Schedule-III. (2) Where the special rules for any service prescribe the possession of the minimum general educational qualification referred to in sub-section (1) as a qualification for appointment as full member in such service or in any class or category thereof or for promotion to any other class or category in such service or for appointment by transfer to any other service, a person who is already a member of a service who does not possess the minimum general educational qualification, but who is certified by the head of the department concerned to be otherwise deserving of appointment as full member or promotion or transfer, as the case may be, shall be deemed to possess the minimum general educational qualification, if he appears for the examination of the S.S.L.C. Standard conducted by the Commission and obtains the minimum percentage of marks specified below:— Subject for the Examination Minimum percentage of marks (1) English 35 (2) General knowledge 35 Provided that persons in service without adequate knowledge of Tamil or whose knowledge of Tamil is not of such standard as to write the examinations referred to in this sub-section in Tamil may write them in any one of the languages, namely, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Urdu or Hindi and they need not pass the language test in Tamil on their appointment to higher post by transfer or promotion. (3) The rule relating to possession of minimum general educational Qualification will not be relaxed in any case of appointment to a higher post from a lower post. (4) No person shall be eligible for appointment to any service by direct recruitment unless he satisfies the Commission in cases where the appointment has to be made in consultation with it or the appointing authority, in other cases— (i) that his character and antecedents are such as to qualify him for such service; (ii) that such a person does not have more than one wife living or if such a person is a woman, that she is not married to any person who has a wife living; (iii) that such a person satisfies the age prescribed in the special rules on the first July of the year in which the vacancy is notified; and (iv) that, notwithstanding anything contained in the special rules, such a person also possesses the qualifications including experience prescribed for a post, on the date of notification of the vacancy: