LALIMA GUPTA Vs. STATE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) In there two writ petitions, Ms. Lalima Gupta, Ms. Kanchan Bala and Mr. Surinder Kumar (minor) through his next friend Mr. Ashwani Kumar say that the selection of candidates on the basis of a "district wise reservation" to the Junior Basic Training Course (hereinafter referred to. in short as the J.B.T. Course") is clearly viola-tive of Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution and consequently pray that it be struck down.

(2.) The facts are briefly set out. The State of Himachal Pradesh issued an advertisement in the daily edition of the Punjab Kesri on 15/10/1991, inviting applications from interested persons for admission to the two years J. B. T. course for the session 1991-93. The advertisement indicated that application forms could be obtained from the office of the District Education Officer of every district, the Principals of the Junior Basic Training Institutions as also from the Primary Block Education Officers' offices. The eligibility requirement of the candidate was that he should be between the age of the 16 to 27 years, a bona fide resident of Himachal Pradesh and a matriculate or its equivalent.

(3.) Admittedly, there are only a few Junior Basic Training Institutions in the State of Himachal Pradesh. They are located at Solan, Nahan, Mandi, Chowari in Chamba, Sarka-ghat and Dharmshala. The candidates be-longing to the districts of Solan, Shimla and Kinnaur had to submit their applications to the Principal, Junior Basic Training Institute, Solan; whereas those belonging to the dis-tricts of Sirmur and Una were required to submit their application forms to the Prin-cipal, Junior Basic Training Institute, Nahan and the candidates from the districts of Mandi, Kullu and Lauhal Spiti had to submit their applications to the Principal, Junior Basic Training Institute, Mandi. The candi-dates belonging to Chamba district had to submit their applications to the Principal, Junior Basic Training Institute, Chowari and persons from Bilaspur and Hamirpur district had to submit their applications to the Principal of the Junior Basic Training Institute, Sarkaghat, whereas those belonging to the district of Kangra had to submit their application forms to the Principal, Junior Basic Training Institute at Dharamshala.