RAVINDER BALORIA Vs. STATE OF H.P.

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS bunch of petitions is directed against the selections made by the respondents-State for admission to Junior Basic Training ( for short: JBT) Course. The respondent No.1 Himachal Pradesh Board of 20th School Education, issued an advertisement on January 2004 inviting applications for entrance test to the JBT course. On the basis of this entrance test, 1800 successful candidates were to be granted admission in various institutions all over the State.

(2.) IN this advertisement, the seats were distributed district-wise. The advertisement also prescribed reservations for various categories. The essential educational qualification for appearing in the test was 10 + 2 or equivalent. As per the general rules/guidelines, merit was to be prepared district- wise/ category-wise by the board and the candidates were to be interviewed by the Selection Committee(s) at the Sub Divisional Headquarters. The general rule/guideline No.5 of the advertisement provides that JBT training does not guarantee government job(s) after completion of the training.

(3.) THE admission test (written examination) was conducted on 18.4.2004 in which all the petitioners appeared. The petitioners passed in the admission test and were called for interviews. It is their common contention that the interview was only a sham which lasted only for one or two minutes. The result of the entrance examination comprising of the written test and the Interview, was declared on 16.10.2004 through publication of roll numbers of selected candidates in the news papers. Immediately thereafter the present petitions were filed by the unsuccessful candidates challenging the result. The first petition was filed on 18.10.2004 and on 19.10.2004 an ad ­ interim order was passed restraining the respondents from giving effect to the result impugned in the petition or taking any consequential action based upon such a result.