HC raps YSS on selection process

Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, May 20: The High Court has rapped Youth Services and Sports Department for creating confusion while making selection for the posts of Rehber-e-Khel forcing the candidates to enter into the litigation for the years.
Justice V C Koul while dealing with a plea filed by one of the candidates claiming to be the selected for the post in question and after her selection along-with other aspirants has been kept in abeyance by the department after some complaints on selection process undertaken by the YSS department, smacked the officials of the department who were at the helm of affairs of selection process for committing mistakes and lapses in selection process resulting into litigation before the court by the candidates.
“Mistakes and lapses on the part of respondent-department cannot be ascribed to selected candidates whose selection was questioned. The respondent-department should identify the official/officer, who committed such mistake/lapse in creating such confusion”, Justice Koul reiterated.
Court added that the mistake committed by the officials forced the parties to enter into instant litigation for years together and put such officials/officers to task. The department cannot under the garb of expression ‘oversight’ wriggle out of its responsibility. The department, in view of the stand taken by it, is required to correct all its mistakes qua instant case”, Court directed.
Petitioner Seema Zehra had challenged the report submitted by District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Budgam to District Development Commissioner, Budgam whereby one-candidate has been brought within the selection zone for the post of Rehbar-e-Khel, Zone Khan Sahib, Budgam.
Zehra stated that after participating in the selection process, she was selected and figured in the selection/ engagement list in Zone Khan Sahib, Budgam and she joined the post. However, District Development Commissioner (DDC) Budgam constituted an enquiry committee to look into the complaints in respect of the selection of ReKs in Youth Service and Sports Budgam, which was comprised of Additional Deputy Commissioner Budgam, Assistant Commissioner Development, Budgam and District Treasury Officer, Budgam.
Pursuant to Government order, joining reports of selected candidates were kept in abeyance till the final outcome of enquiry. It is stated that District Youth Services and Sports Officer Budgam in his detailed report to DDC Budgam , wherein name of one of the candidates who has failed to make it to the selection list, has been shown in the selection list.
According to petitioner, in the report of District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Budgam, a frantic effort is made to confer unlawful benefit upon the said candidate who was considered for zone Khan Sahib for ReK.
The deliberate attempt in showing him is a conscious effort to confer unlawful and illegal benefit upon him, which is not permissible by law, as it has consequence of hitting the selected candidate from the selection list and in the report District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Budgam has sought instructions from District Development Commissioner for rectification of selection list which has constrained the petitioner to file this writ petition.
Court has been informed that the selection committee has no power to change eligibility criteria set out in the notification/ advertisement notice through which eligibility criteria was changed by asking the beneficiary candidate to produce a qualification certificate within seven days, which he failed to produce.