Punjab and Haryana High Court refuses to postpone PTI exam

Chandigarh, August 21

Expressing satisfaction over the arrangements for conducting examination for the post of physical training instructor (PTI), the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asserted that it does not find any justification to direct its postponement.

“Public interest for conducting the examination on the scheduled date far outweighs the convenience of the petitioners. The unfortunate circumstances of some petitioners cannot be a ground to postpone the examination, wherein about 9,500 candidates have to appear,” Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal ruled.

Justice Grewal noted that the arrangements in view of the pandemic included maintenance of social distancing, sanitisation and transportation. Justice Grewal referred to the Supreme Court judgment dated August 17.

Among other things, the SC had asserted: “In our opinion, though there is a pandemic, life has to go on as the careers of students cannot be put on peril for long and full academic year cannot be wasted.”

Justice Grewal was hearing a petition by Rekha Rani and other petitioners against Haryana and other respondents. They had challenged the order dated June 30, whereby the respondents were conducting the examination.

The counsel for the petitioners contended that some petitioners were suffering from chronic diseases, while three of them were Covid positive. — TNS