HC restrains Hry from declaring results of TGT English test

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday restrained the Haryana government from declaring results of 694 posts of TGT (trained graduate teachers) of English being conducted by Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC).

The high court acted on the petition of Karnal resident Poonam and others who had sought the court’s intervention on the issue.

The HSSC had advertised 694 posts of TGTs on July 23, 2015. A written test was held on February 23, 2016 and results declared on September 3, 2016. Interviews were conducted recently.

The petitioners had argued that one of the qualifications mentioned was BA with at least 50% marks in English as an elective subject, which is also applicable as per rules for the post as well.

The court was told that petitioners had passed their BA examination with English as compulsory subject.

As they did not have the qualification strictly in terms of the advertisement issued, they never applied for the post, the court was informed, adding that now a clarification had come to light according to which director, secondary education, Haryana has stated that commission can consider compulsory English as equivalent to optional English, in case the university gives certificate about the same.

“This clarification was never made public and in any case it was sought even after the result for the written test had already been declared. The appellants were deprived of their right to even consideration as applications were not submitted by them,” petitioners’ lawyer Jagbir Malik had stated.

The high court bench of justice Rajesh Bindal and justice BS Walia put Haryana as well as Haryana Staff Selection Commission on notice for January 23 and restrained it from declaring the final results.