Chandigarh, August 5
Disposing of the complaint filed by Ms Baljit Kaur and six others, the Punjab Lokpal, Justice D.V. Sehgal, has recommended the cancellation of the selection of science mistresses (Medical group) made against quota posts by a committee headed by Mr Raj Singh Deol in December last year.
He has recommended action against Mr R.S. Sandhu, the then Secretary Education. He has also found Mr Tota Singh, former Education Minister, who was a publicman respondent in the case, guilty of misconduct within the meaning of Section 3(1) ( a) of the Lokpal Act.
According to informed sources, Justice Sehgal found that the selections of all the candidates of reserved categories — SC, BC and ex-servicemen or their dependents — were not made on merit, but on collateral and extraneous considerations by the committee.
He has directed the DPI (Schools) to scrutinise the applications of all
candidates, who had applied for these posts and then call eligible candidates out them for interview by the state-level selection committee which should be at least headed by either Head of the Education (Secondary) Department or the appointing authority of science masters. Other members of the committee should be as per the instructions of the government issued vide circular dated December 5, 1996.
The committee should also associate with it two independent subject experts who should be the professor on the teaching staff of any of the three universities of the region. All shortlisted candidates including the complainants- Baljit Kaur, Satvir
Kaur, Gurbinder Kaur, Surinder Kaur, Ramandeep Kaur, Suhinder Kaur and Kanwaljit Kaur — should appear for interview in response to the call from the selection committee and awards should be given to them on the basis of their performance in the interview and adding to the marks earned by them while serving their academic degrees.
The Lokpal has recommended an action against all public servants who held interviews as members of the Deol Committee.
