The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered an independent review of the recruitment process carried out by the Punjab State Rural Livelihood Mission (PSRLM). The court found prima facie irregularities in the selection process and directed that the original recruitment documents be placed in judicial custody.
The directions were issued while the court was hearing a group of petitions challenging the recruitment process. The petitioners claimed that the recruitment process carried 100 marks, with 70 marks assigned to the written test and 30 marks for the interview, educational qualifications and work experience. However, they alleged that the authorities did not clearly specify how the marks were to be divided among these categories.
They also claimed that the final selection list was uploaded without an authorised signature, official seal or date. According to the petitioners, the required provisional list of eligible candidates was also not published. They further alleged that the category-wise distribution of posts was changed after the recruitment process had already begun. One of the advertised posts was also left vacant without any stated reason.
After reviewing the original recruitment documents submitted before it, Justice Sandeep Moudgil observed that the evaluation records showed 70 marks for the written examination and only 10 marks for the interview. The records did not show any separate marks for educational qualifications or experience, even though the recruitment advertisement had allocated 10 marks each for these two categories.
The court also noted that the respondents could not produce any records from the relevant period to establish that marks had actually been given for educational qualifications and work experience. The absence of such records, the court said, raised serious questions about the fairness, transparency and legality of the recruitment process.
In light of the alleged discrepancies, the High Court ordered that the complete original recruitment records be taken into judicial custody and submitted to the Registrar (Judicial).
The court also directed the formation of an independent committee under its supervision to conduct a detailed review of the entire recruitment process. Advocate Vishal Sharma has been appointed as Amicus Curiae to lead the committee.
He will be assisted by Advocate Anjali Singh, Harmandeep Singh, Deputy Director, Department of Rural Development and Panchayats, Punjab, and Amrinderpal Singh, DDPO (HQ), Department of Rural Development and Panchayats.
The committee will check whether candidates submitted all the required documents related to their education and work experience. It will also verify the authenticity of experience certificates and the credentials of the authorities that issued them. The panel will further examine whether marks were given strictly according to the notified criteria and whether the overall selection process was transparent and legally valid.
The case has been listed for further hearing on July 31, 2026.
Follow us
