The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered that the appointment of 454 pharmacists advertised by state-run Baba Farid University of Health Sciences will remain stayed until September 17, the next date of hearing on a petition challenging the recruitment process.
The order was passed by Justice Sandeep Moudgil on a petition filed by Keshav Kamboj and others, who sought cancellation of the written examination conducted for the recruitment, alleging that an organised inter-state cheating racket had compromised the exam.
During the hearing, the petitioners' counsel submitted that the appointments had been stalled due to the pending writ petition. The plea sought cancellation of the written examination held on July 19 for the recruitment of pharmacists (Group C) under the Punjab Department of Health and Family Welfare, pursuant to an advertisement issued on June 11.
The petitioners also sought the quashing of all consequential steps taken or proposed based on the examination, including evaluation of answer sheets and preparation or declaration of the results.
They argued that the examination had been completely compromised by an organised, hi-tech, inter-state cheating racket, as mentioned in a press release dated July 19 and an FIR registered on July 20. According to the petitioners, the alleged irregularities were in "complete negation of Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution of India."
Meanwhile, Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains told the Assembly on August 3 that a Haryana-based cheating syndicate had used modified mobile phones, hidden wireless earpieces and other advanced devices to facilitate cheating during the Baba Farid University pharmacy examination.
Participating in a discussion on a censure motion in the House over repeated paper leaks across the country and alleged atrocities against protesting students, Bains said Punjab had emerged as India's number one state in school education.
Explaining how the alleged racket operated, he said the incident was not a paper leak but a technology-driven cheating operation that was busted by the Punjab Police.
He further alleged that the Haryana government had ignored the activities of the syndicate for years, allowing it to jeopardise the future of thousands of students.
With Inputs From IANS
