Punjab directed to prepare consolidated list afresh for recruitment of school masters

Chandigarh, May 2

More than a year after a notice to recruit 4,161 masters in different streams and subjects was issued, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the state of Punjab to prepare a consolidated list of open category candidates, and posts available following conversion of “unfilled posts”.

The selection to 790 posts of masters in English and mathematics was in dispute.

Justice Anil Kshetarpal asserted petitioners’ grievance was that the state of Punjab and other respondents failed to shift the meritorious reserved category candidates to the merit list prepared for the open category in accordance with well-settled law and the policy instructions adopted by the state on September 25, 2017.

Justice Kshetarpal asserted the merit list was required to be prepared after completing the counselling involving the checking of the documents produced by the candidates. The respondents simultaneously prepared the merit list of the open category and various reserved categories.

A decision was taken to “un-reserve” the posts of ex-servicemen (general) and sports (general) in English and mathematics before filling these through the open category as these remained unfilled.

The recruiting agency initially followed the instructions issued by the state on September 25, 2019, to adjust meritorious reserved category candidates against the open category if their marks were more than the last selected general category candidate.

But it refused to follow the procedure regarding the posts/vacancies available following conversion from the reserved category to the open category.

Disposing of the petition filed through counsel Parvesh K Saini, Justice Kshetarpal asserted the select list of original open category and unfilled converted posts was prepared the same day.

“The only exercise required to be undertaken was to prepare a fresh list because no appointment letter has been issued at that time…The state of Punjab is directed to prepare a consolidated list of the open category as well as the posts which have become available on account of conversion of the unfilled posts and carry out the exercise afresh,” Justice Kshetarpal concluded.

Selection to 790 posts was in dispute

• More than a year after a notice to recruit 4,161 masters in different streams and subjects was issued, the court directed the state to prepare a consolidated list of open category candidates, and posts available following conversion of “unfilled posts”
• The selection to 790 posts in English and maths was in dispute