Physical endurance test for cop promotion fine: HC

Are you one of those pot-bellied constables wishing to be promoted to sub-inspector? Then it’s time to dump the flab and make yourself fit to make a 1.6 km dash in six-and-a-half minutes, says Harish V Nair.

Are you one of those pot-bellied constables wishing to be promoted to sub-inspector? Then it’s time to dump the flab and make yourself fit to make a 1.6 km dash in six-and-a-half minutes.

HT Image

That’s the only way to clear the Delhi Police’s physical endurance test and the Delhi High Court on Friday found nothing wrong with it, in view of the nature of duty they are to discharge.

Dismissing a petition filed by a Constable Pramod Kumar challenging the insufficient time to cover the distance, a bench of justices A.K. Sikri and J.R. Midha said, “The employees know the best requirement for the job and it is not for the court to interfere.”

Kumar complained about the “unreasonable and arbitrary rule” as he could not cover the distance within the stipulated time and was disqualified. The Central Administrative Tribunal had earlier dismissed his petition. He was one of those who applied for the SI post under the departmental category when the Delhi Police advertised 692 vacancies in 2007.

Rejecting the argument as “wholly misplaced”, Delhi Police counsel Jyoti Singh told the Bench, “As we go up the promotion ladder we expect the personnel to be fitter. It is for the government to decide the selection criteria.” She also pointed out 50 out of 69 departmental candidates had run the distance in the stipulated time.

Singh said the petition deserved to be dismissed outright as Kumar himself had, while applying and participating in the test, accepted the condition.

After hearing both sides, the Bench said, “We agree running of 1,600 metres in six minutes 30 seconds in not difficult.”