Measure chest, height through scientific means: HC to HSSC

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 21

In a first, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) to not only publicly carry out chest and height measurement through scientific instruments, but also to hand over stamped copy of dimensions to the candidates seeking recruitment.

The directions by Justice Rajiv Narain Raina came on a petition filed by Sonu Singh against Haryana and other respondents. An applicant for constable’s post, the petitioner was declared ineligible after his height was measured as 171.9 cm against the required minimum height of 172 cm.

The petitioner contended he was 5’-8” and eligible. but his case was not considered, after which he made a representation for re-measuring his height.

Taking up the matter, Justice Raina asserted that a man’s height was a “pure question of fact”, provided it was measured scientifically by a stadiometer used for measuring human height with reliable results.

Justice Raina added that if a reliable mechanical or digital stadiometer was not used by the authorities deputed by the HSSC to measure height, a direction deserved to be issued to the respondents to consider and decide the petitioner’s representation for recording correct height.

“In case recruitment of police constables is conducted without scientific stadiometer as part of medical equipment, directions are issued to the HSSC, Panchkula, and other recruiting agencies of the state, where height is part of the eligibility criteria for appointment to public service, to take steps to equip themselves with both mechanical and digital stadiometers properly calibrated from standard suppliers to measure the correct height of candidates exact to the millimetre so that no such dispute comes to this court in the future.

“When height is certified by a stadiometer in the presence of candidate with frozen digital reading, the presumption of correctness will be attached to the measurement. Likewise, the commission should use the respiratory movement measuring instrument and reliable measuring tape to record chest expansion of the candidates for a doubt-free physical check-up,” he said.

Justice Raina added that the instruments were available in the market and could be hired. “More importantly, candidates should be notified in advance on the commission’s website that height and chest will be measured publicly by such scientific instruments and recordings handed over on small slips bearing the stamp of the commission for the candidates to preserve and track so that they cannot dispute the measurements and no complaint will be entertained thereafter,” Justice Raina said.

Referring to the case in hand, Justice Raina directed the respondents to carry out re-measurement as suggested within seven days of receiving the order’s certified copy.