A single bench of Justice N Kotiswar Singh, High Court of Manipur has today deferred the date for ‘consideration of passing the interim relief’ in connection with the petition filed by the candidates of the All Manipur DPC completed candidates of police constable (Male) 2013.
The court also issued directive to the state not to declare the final results of the new recruitment process for police constable unless an interim order is passed following the petition.
On September 16 hearing, the court fixed October 7 as the next date for the hearing of the case to discuss on the interim relief sought by the petitioner while issuing notice to file counter affidavits within October 3.
However, the court today had to defer the hearing on October 21 following the failure of the state to file their counter affidavit within the stipulated time.
Advocate General, Th Ibohal, representing the state today pleaded the court to give more time as certain incomplete exercise undertaken for compiling and gathering necessary information for filing the counter affidavit could not be completed. He assured to file the same on October 17.
The counsel of the petitioners however raised objection that sufficient time had been granted to the state respondents and as such insisted that their interim prayer be considered today.
The counsel of the petitioners also submitted that merely owing to certain irregularities, the entire process should not have been cancelled as the candidates who were not part of it cannot be made to suffer.
Moreover, the petitioner’s counsel Hemchandra also filed an additional affidavit (W.P (C) No.635 of 2016 demanding to provide for constitution as regards the marks in respect of the PET, written examination and viva-voce and any irregularities found in respect of the recruitment for 2000 constables in 2013 and the Committee was required to submit its findings to Home Department on or before October 4.
In response, the AG divulged that the authority is in their final stage of preparing the counter affidavit.
Informing the court that the PET is yet to be completed and the written test is yet to be held, he said that there was no question of completing the recruitment process to cause any prejudice to the writ petitioners.
N Ibotombi, Additional AG also assured the court that the final result would not be declared until an interim order is considered.
Altogether seven separate petitions were filed by the candidates of the All Manipur Written Test Successful Candidates of PoliceConstable (Male) 2013 challenging the order of the Police department that cancelled the DPC of the recruitment process.
In addition two caveat petition were also filed by candidates of the new recruitment process.
