CHANDIGARH: The single bench order of the Punjab and Haryana high court directing the Haryana government to appoint Vishwajeet Singh as Haryana Civil Service (executive branch) officer on the basis of his sports gradation certificate has been challenged before the HC.
The appellant, Amit Dhanda, working as excise and taxation officer (ETO), has claimed that the Haryana government had first decided to hold an inquiry into Vishwajeet’s gradation through the state vigilance bureau (SVB) but for the reasons not known, it did not wait for its outcome.
It has also been stated that even after the decision of the single judge, the Haryana government had initially decided to challenge the said decision by means of filing letter patent appeal (LPA), but this too had been overruled for no valid reasons and it was decided to appoint Vishwajeet as HCS officer.
Glaring violations of procedure ignored and condoned: Appellant The glaring violations of procedure and propriety have been ignored and condoned whereas the same called for exemplary action so as to prohibit recurrence of such conduct on the part of the officials and to prevent fraud being played on public employment.
In a bizarre turn of events, the state chose to reward the violator and confer the benefit of offering public appointment to the person who has to be investigated about the acts in question which prima facie establish commission of cognizable offence,” the appellant has contended.
Appellant has sought directions to set aside the order dated January 29 through which the single bench of the HC had directed Haryana to issue an appointment letter to Vishwajeet Singh as HCS officer.
According to the appellant, Vishwajeet has no entitlement to seek appointment to the post of HCS (executive branch) on the basis of the sports gradation certificate.
“There is no presumption in the said policy notified by the state to assume the existence of the organizing authority being recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
It is required to be established,” the appellant has stated in his appeal.
Regarding his locus to challenge the single bench order, the appellant has submitted that on account of the sports gradation certificate issued to the Vishwajeet, which was inappropriate, his (Vishwajeet) name has been recommended in the category of HCS (executive branch) whereas the name of the appellant was recommended against the post of ETO…“In the event of recommendation of the Vishwajeet Singh being held as illegal and in violation of the notified sports policy in issuing the gradation certificate to Vishwajeet, the name of the appellant shall be recommended against the post in the HCS (executive branch) cadre being higher in the order or merit,” Dhanda has contended in his plea.
The appeal is expected to come up for hearing next week when the HC would open after vacations