Shimla: A selection panel of HP Public Service Commission (HPPSC) having rejected the candidature of a visually disable person for the post of college lecturer in Chemistry was asked by the High Court here to produce the entire record of the selection process.
A division bench consisting of Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Sanjay Karol today directed chairman HPPSC to furnish the qualifications, experience, service particulars, curriculum vitae of members and chairman of selection committee as well as to produce the entire record pertaining to the selection of post advertised in 2008.
The court also asked chairman HPPSC to personally present himself with the records on 19th September and file an affidavit as to whether the selection committee had fixed any guidelines, parameters for assessing the merit of the candidates and if so, what those parameters were.
The court sought to know as to how many vacancies in various cadres were to be filled from the physically challenged candidate category and what steps had been taken by the commission.
The stern directions from the court came in an appeal filed by Shyam Lal, a visually handicapped person serving as a school cadre lecturer in chemistry for the last 15 years.
In response to 5 posts of lecturer college cadre in chemistry advertised by HPPSC, of which 3 were reserved for visually disabled persons, Shyam Lal along with another person, who was orthopedically handicapped had applied
Though no post was reserved for a candidate of orthopedic disability, yet his candidature was considered and interviewed also. When the mistake was realized, the entire selection process was cancelled.
Shyam Lal, aggrieved against the cancellation of selection process had filed a writ petition in the High Court, which ordered the Commission to finalise the selection as per the process already commenced and interview already held.
However, the commission declared the result of the appellant as unsuccessful for securing less marks than prescribed.
In its earlier orders, the court had observed that it was shocking to judicial conscience as to how the petitioner who is a teacher in the subject for over 15 years was awarded such poor marks despite him being a post graduate as well as M.Phil in Chemistry with 1st class and who also holds a Ph.D. in the subject.
The court observed that there was something wrong either with the assessment of the selection committee or in any case there was definitely something wrong with the selection process, whereby a person, who awards the marks does not know the subject.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
