PANKAJ KUMAR DUBEY Vs. PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Higher education is considered to be a golden wand to ameliorate poverty; eradicate social backwardness by opening new horizons for employment with enhanced skill, social acceptability and intellectual well being. But it is not always so, like in the instant case, where higher education has become a curse, a malediction, a stumbling block, in snatching from the petitioner the source of livelihood.

(2.) Shorn of details, the petitioner, after completing VIII standard in the year 1996, got himself registered with the local employment exchange. However, as luck would have it, the petitioner could not get any employment and therefore, pursued further studies and succeeded in passing standard X and XII. He remained unemployed till the year 2008, when the magic wand conjured upon him a public employment as peon in Punjab National Bank vide appointment letter dated 29/3/2008. However, the happiness was short lived. By letter dated 17/4/2008, he was informed that on perusal of testimonials produced by him, it transpired that he did not possess the prescribed qualifications and thus, his offer of employment has been cancelled.

(3.) This followed the fight for survival. Representations made by petitioner to the higher authorities fell on deaf ears. Recourse to law was the only way out; this is how the petitioner has landed before this Court.