Govt’s 34-yr-old order helps 40 get police job

CHANDIGARH: About 40 youths, who were awaiting appointment as constable in the Punjab Police, are a relieved lot after the government has accepted Punjabi exam cleared at the senior secondary level, and not at the secondary level, as a qualification for recruitment.

Clearing the Punjabi exam in Class X is the basic qualification for the post of constable. Tribune file photo

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 11

About 40 youths, who were awaiting appointment as constable in the Punjab Police, are a relieved lot after the government has accepted Punjabi exam cleared at the senior secondary level, and not at the secondary level, as a qualification for recruitment.

The police said the youths were given selection letters last week. They had been waiting for a decision for almost six months.

The decision was taken as there’s a precedent of accepting Punjabi cleared in Class XII as a criterion for selection. That was 34 years ago.

The youths did not study Punjabi in Class X. They, however, took the subject in higher secondary (Class XI and XII) and cleared it. Clearing the Punjabi exam in Class X is the basic qualification for the post of constable.

The government had advertised 6,000 posts of constable, for which more than 6 lakh applicants took the tests in September and October last year.

The government had put the selection of about 40 youths on hold, as they did not meet the criterion.

Later, the police wrote to the Personnel Department, asking for an advice on the matter. The department replied that in 1983, the government had faced a similar situation for some other post. It had then decided to accept Punjabi cleared at the senior secondary level as a qualification for the job.

The selection of 40 youths dashed hopes of candidates on the waiting list. Several of them gathered at the CMO yesterday.

They alleged some youths having the same marks were recruited after a long gap. Senior officials said that at one time, the government thought of increasing the posts to accommodate more youths, who had the same marks. The move was scuttled as it was legally impossible to increase the number of posts once advertised.

1983 order to the rescue

The government had put the selection of about 40 youths on hold, as they did not have Punjabi in Class X. What came to their rescue was a 1983 order, in which the government had accepted Punjabi in Class XII, and not in Class X, as a qualification for the job.