E-Paper
HC allows interns to participate in selection process for veterinary surgeon
The court directed that they be allowed to appear provisionally in the selection process and further directed that their results be kept in sealed covers
: The Punjab and Haryana high court has allowed internship students to provisionally participate in the selection process for veterinary surgeons in Haryana.
The high court bench of justice Arun Monga acted on the plea of Anil Kumar and others, who had approached the high court, challenging government decision of not allowing those candidates to participate in the selection process, who would not be able to complete their internship by cut- off date of January 5, 2023. The advertisement for the same was issued by Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC).
The court directed that they be allowed to appear provisionally in the selection process and further directed that their results be kept in sealed covers.
Their counsel Himanshu Malik had argued that the petitioners have completed all the course requirement for Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc) and animal husbandry (AH) degree and are provisionally registered with the Haryana Veterinary Council.
Due to unforeseen circumstances of COVID-19 pandemic, the commencement of the internship programme had got delayed by more than three months and resultantly the degree of the petitioners further got delayed, it was submitted, adding that if not for the COVID-19 pandemic, the petitioner would have completed their degree by December, 2022 and would be eligible to apply before the cut-off date.
HPSC counsel had opposed interim protection to these students arguing that the internship is an integral part of the degree. Hence, their online applications were rightly not entertained.
The court ordered in favour of students observing that the controversy in the case in hand had come up before court on an earlier occasion as well and could not be dealt with as petition was withdrawn.
