Srinagar
Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Friday directed authorities not to finalize selection regarding engagement of Rehbar-e-Khel for zone Drugmulla in Kupwara district of north Kashmir.
Advocate Shafaqat Nazir, representing aggrieved candidates, said the high court also asked the eight petitioners to file objections on claims of nepotism and favouritism in the selection process and agitate same before the Deputy Commissioner who is the chairman selection committee.
“The court has directed the respondents not to finalize the selection till the objections which may be filed by the petitioners of all zones are considered and a decision in this regard is taken,” he said.
The petitioners, he said, have been directed to file objections to the provisional selection list with regard to the incompetence of the Selection Committee, nepotism and favouritism in the selection process, their superior merit position as compared to selected candidates and “fake degrees” possessed by some of the selected candidates.
“The Deputy Commissioner has been directed to accept the objections and decide the matter within 10 days and pass appropriate orders,” he added.
In their pleas, the petitioners submitted on 27 October 2017 sanction for the adoption of policy formulated by the Youth Services and Sports Department regarding engagement of Rehbar-e-Khael came to be accorded and three thousand posts of Rehbar-e-Khael came to be created.
The Youth Services and Sports Department accordingly issued the advertisement notification on 13 February 2018 thereby advertising 12 posts of Rehbar-e-Khael for zone Drugmulla besides posts for other zones of the District Kupwara.
The petitioners had the basic, as well as additional qualification as required for the post of Rehbar-e-Khael, applied for the post and they along with other candidates including the selected one were subjected to viva and interview.
“The petitioners performed exceptionally well in the interview and expected their selection on the basis of their overall academic merit and performance in the interview. However, (District Youth Services and Sports Officer Kupwara) has issued the provisional selection list thereby selecting the 12 applicants (private respondents) for the post of Rehbar-e-Khael and ignoring the petitioners despite their superior merit position,” they said.
The District Development Commissioner of the district who is the Chairman of the Selection Committee did not conduct the interview of the candidates but the Additional deputy Commissioner Handwara substituted him during the interview process which is not permissible under law, he said.
The petitioners have specifically pointed out towards the close relation of the members of the interview committee with the selected candidates which has paved way for their selection.
‘The respondents did not even receive the objections of the petitioners as having been invited in terms of the impugned notification which also points out towards nepotism and favouritism in the selection process,” they said, adding, “The selection of the private respondents is based on extraneous considerations as all the selected candidates have been systematically given more points in the viva while as petitioners despite their superior academic merit and exceptional performance in the interview have been awarded low marks to throw them out of selection zone.” (GNS)
