Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Dec 16: Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey directed respondents to conduct the counselling-cum-document verification of the petitioners with respect to the post of Information Assistant (ST Category) advertised vide notification No. 03/2017 dated 17th of November, 2017.
The Court asked that after giving wide circulation to the same in the area(s) where the concerned candidates, i.e., the petitioners herein, reside and, accordingly, finalize the selection of the said post on the basis of merit secured by the competing candidates in accordance with the rules governing the subject.
Since, the advertisement in question stands issued by the respondent Board way back in the year 2017, therefore, let the respondents complete the aforesaid exercise and take the selection to its logical conclusion expeditiously, preferably within a period of two months from today.
This significant judgment has been passed in a petition filed by Tufail Ahmed Lone & Ors seeking direction to respondents to conduct counselling and document verification in respect of the petitioners for the post of Information Assistant.
Justice Magrey observed that the petitioners are the only two candidates who have been shortlisted for the post of Information Assistant under ST category, but, they, due to lack of knowledge, could not attend the counselling-cum-document verification process initiated by the respondents on the appointed date. It is also not in dispute that the petitioners hail from a far-off place in Kargil, where comparatively far lesser modes of communication are available. Furthermore, from a bare perusal of the notification dated 9th of May, 2018, it becomes axiomatic that copy of the same was sent to Director Information, J&K for publication of the same in at least three local newspapers of Jammu/ Srinagar on three consecutive dates, but no request was made to the Director Information J&K to publish the notification in any local newspaper of Ladakh Division. Moreover, since the petitioners, who both hail from Kargil, were the only two candidates shortlisted for the post in question, therefore, it was incumbent upon the respondent Board to have the notification dated 9th of May, 2018 for counselling-cum-document verification published in any of the newspapers having wide publicity in Ladakh Division, which has not been done by the respondents thereby prejudicing the rights and interests of the petitioners. With these observations High Court allowed the petition. -JNF |
