Decision reversed: Court orders recruitment exams at regional centres

PPSC to announce a new date for the tests after Ramazan.

MULTAN:

The Multan Bench of the Lahore High Court on Tuesday ordered that the written examination for the post of legal inspector be postponed until arrangements were made by the Punjab Public Service Commission to hold the exams at regional centres.

The ruling benefits 1,013 candidates (709 from south Punjab and 304 from upper Punjab) appearing in the exam. The PPSCs announcement on June 21 not to give examination at regional centres – Multan and Rawalpindi – had sparked protests.

“It was unfair…A candidate was to spend 10 days in Lahore and bear all expenditures…it was way more difficult for women candidates,” said Advocate Aafia, one of the nine petitioner’s who took the matter to the Multan Bench of the LHC.

“It’s almost a Rs30,000 expense for a candidate to make arrangements in Lahore for two weeks,” said Husnain Rijawana, another petitioner.

Muhammad Shabbir, the PPSC Multan regional head, told The Express Tribune that the commission was ready to organise the examination at the regional centres.



He said the PPSC would announce a new date after Ramazan.

More than 4,286 lawyers from the province were to appear for the exam, originally scheduled for June 26, for 376 legal inspector (BPS-16) seats.

When the posts were advertised, the candidates were given choice of taking the test in Lahore, Multan or Rawalpindi.

A majority of the candidates from south Punjab had chosen the Multan examination centre. Rawalpindi was the chosen centre for a majority of candidates from upper Punjab.

When the PPSC announced on their website that the test would be given only in Lahore, many candidates from south Punjab and Rawalpindi protested.

Shahbaz Rizvi, Lahore High Court Bar’s Multan president, told The Express Tribune that the decision not to hold examinations in Multan and Rawalpindi amounted to discrimination.

Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh of the Multan Bench ruled on Tuesday said that the examinations be postponed till arrangements were made by the PPSC to hold examinations at regional centres.

Earlier on June 24, a similar petition to the one filed at the Bahawalpur Bench of the LHC was withdrawn.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2013.