Expalin huge disparities in chest size measurements: HC

: Madras High Court today directed Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board (TNUSRB) to explain the 'huge disparities' in chest size measurement of two aspirants of the post of Sub Inspectors.
A total of six candidates had got the opportunity of re measurement, thanks to an order of the first bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice T S Sivagnanam.
Today, officials of TNUSRB came to the court campus along with all measurement tools to conduct the exercise in the presence of registrar (vigilance), as directed by the bench.
All six candidates expanded their chests enough and came within the zone of consideration on that count. But the merit was found in only two cases, that of Ganesan and Elangovan.

Drecting authorities to file an affidavit explaining why there were huge disparities in the actual measurement and the one recorded in field trials on August 3, the bench rejected the pleas of the other four for various reasons, including faulty declaration of their normal chest size.
The rejected candidates had moved court, claiming that the TNUSRB selectors had made faulty entries and deserving candidates were deliberately rejected in order to appoint the kin of serving police officials in the sports quota category.

As per rules, candidates must have minimum 81 cm chest, which shall expand at least 5cm. In the case of Elangovan, selectors rejected him saying his normal chest was 96 cm and that it expanded to 98.5cm.But measurements taken today showed his normal chest size was 94 cm and it expanded to 101 cm.

While judges questioned how there could be such a large disparity, additional advocate-general P H Arvindh Pandian said such a feat was achieveable in a period of one month.
With the right kind of practice and exercise, candidates could improve every day and achieve the target,he said,adding that performance on a given day alone is taken into account.
He said this could be demonstrated.
While rejecting the case of Arun, the judge said he had claimed that his normal chest size was 83 whereas authorities had entered it as 90.
"We were persuaded to order re-measurement only due to this vast disparity," they said. But re-measurement revealed that he had 88cm normal chest size, which was closer to government's 90cm than his own claim of 83cm.

The matter has been adjourned to Sept 21.