Judicial Magistrate removed

Before being shifted here in November,2007,Singh was given his first posting at Bathinda in November 2005. Since his posting,Singh was neither given any increment nor any promotion during his five years of service.

In an official order issued on January 31,the Punjab and Haryana High Court Registrar wrote that since Singh had failed to clear the departmental exams during statutory period of his service,his services were dispensed with and he was directed to relinquish his charge with immediate effect.

Following the receipt of the order on Monday night,Singh gave up his post immediately and since Tuesday,the court which he was presiding,was lying vacant,causing much inconvenience to the hundreds of litigants,who daily visit the court for their civil and criminal cases but have to return back after their cases were adjourned without any further proceedings.

As per information,Singh had cleared Hindi,Accountancy,Constitutional Law and Criminal Law exams during his service but he failed to clear Civil Law and Revenue Law exams with the required aggregate 66 per cent marks.

Though Singh had cleared PCS (Judicial) in 1995,it was after a legal battle of over a decade that he had got the posting. Doubting the fairness of the exam results,Singh on Wednesday represented to the High Court Acting Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi,Punjab Governor Shivraj V Patil and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal seeking another chance to clear the two departmental exams.

“As per norms,I was entitled for 15 chances to clear the exams in stipulated period of 5 years but somehow I was given 14 chances and I was not allowed to appear in the latest exam held in November 2010,which otherwise was my last chance,” argued Singh,while pleading for a last chance in fairness of things.

The High Court Service Rules require the fresh appointees to clear the departmental exams in two years of service,failing which the High Court has the discretion to either still confirm their service or offer them extension in time to clear the exams.

In Singh’s case,the High Court had given him three years’ extension after his failure to clear the departmental exams in first two years of his service.

Meanwhile,the Ropar District and Sessions Judge today ordered shifting of the court of another Civil Judge (Junior Division)-cum-Judicial Magistrate (Class I) Shikha Goel from the first floor to the Singh’s vacated courtroom on the ground floor of the Kharar judicial courts complex. Besides Shikha,Additional Civil Judge (Senior Division)-cum-Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate K K Goel is another judge in Kharar.