The Uttarakhand High Court has intervened in the recruitment process for the post of director at the Power Transmission Corporation of Uttarakhand Ltd (PTCUL), staying any fresh advertisement until errors in the recruitment rules are rectified. The order was issued on May 11 by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Subhash Upadhyay, in response to writ petitions filed by Anupam Singh.
Petitioner's Challenge
The petitioner challenged the amended rules that require candidates for the director post to have held the rank of chief engineer, general manager, or higher specifically within a board of directors. The petitioner argued that this condition is unworkable as PTCUL does not currently have such posts in its board structure, effectively excluding eligible candidates.
Government's Admission
During the hearing, the court noted the state government's admission in a previous affidavit by the principal secretary of energy that the rules contained an inadvertent error and were being corrected. Despite this, the petitioner expressed concern that a fresh advertisement could still be issued before the rules were amended.
Court's Directions
The court directed the principal secretary of energy to file an affidavit detailing the steps taken and the timeline for correcting the rules. It also ordered that no advertisement be issued for the post until the issue is resolved. The matter is listed for further hearing on May 25.
About the Author: Sonali Mishra covers stories in and around Nainital, with a liking for wildlife and court stories.
