HC restrains Haryana from proceeding with teachers’ recruitment

The high court bench of justice GS Sandhawalia acted on the plea of Jangir Singh and three others who had contended that the advertisement issued for the recruitment is tailor-made to re-employ retrenched Physical Training Instructors.

The Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday restrained Haryana government from proceeding with the recruitment of 2,000 sports and school special assistants, on the basis of the advertisement issued on January 25.

The state has been asked to respond on the plea by March 18. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The high court bench of justice GS Sandhawalia acted on the plea of Jangir Singh and three others who had contended that the advertisement issued for the recruitment is tailor-made to re-employ retrenched Physical Training Instructors (PTIs).

It was argued that the minimum age limit is 18 years and maximum age limit of 57 years. It was further stated that the condition of experience in physical training is totally arbitrary and discriminatory as six marks for every year have been given to those who worked as PTI in the education department of the state and only one mark for every year to those who worked as PTI under private organisations.

The PTIs had served for a period of 10 years before their selection was set aside in September 2012 and therefore, in comparison to the private employees or the private organisations, only one mark is to be given for every year, subject to maximum of 10 marks, the court was told.

It was further argued that to pacify retrenched employees and in order to gain the votes, the state government took a conscious decision to accommodate and to adjust those retrenched PTIs, the court was told. The high court, taking note of submissions, asked government to not to proceed with the recruitment and respond to the issues raised in the plea by March 18. It was on April 8, 2020 that the apex court had set aside 1983 PTIs’ selection and asked the state to complete process within five months. A single judge bench of Punjab and Haryana high court had in September 2012, set aside the selection of these teachers in 2010 as it found the process vitiated. They were recruited in pursuance to a 2006 advertisement.