HC sets aside appointment of 1,983 PTIs in Haryana

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today upheld the order of its single bench, which had set aside the appointments of 1,983 Physical Training Instructors (PTIs) made by the Haryana government over three years back.
The Division Bench today dismissed the appeals filed by the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC), state government and the candidates.
In September last year, the High Court had quashed the appointments of 1,983 PTIs saying the entire selection process was changed by the HSSC and terming it as "nothing but one man show".
Justice Augustine George Masih had also directed the Commission "to hold a fresh selection in accordance with law".

Taking up the appeal, the Division Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Surinder Gupta observed that HSSC's chairman had not taken any member of the Commission alongside in the process, which included the decision to call the candidates for interviews.
"Here is a case where alterations (to make recruitments) have been designed with the sole object of downgrading and not upgrading the standards of selection to public employment," the bench observed.