The High Court on Friday declared that the examination for selection of Junior Civil Judges will be held as per the schedule on Sunday, but answer scripts will be kept in sealed envelopes till further orders.
The Division Bench of Hyderabad High Court comprising Chief Justice Kalyanjyothi Sen Gupta and Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar on Friday was passing interim orders in a batch of hotly-contested cases. Several cases were filed challenging the High Court’s notification to fill the posts of Junior Civil Judges in Telangana and AP.
The petitioners contended that till cadre strength for Telangana was fixed, the present selection process cannot go on and law graduates from Telangana were at great disadvantage.
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On Thursday morning when the arguments resumed, K. Ramakrishna Reddy, Advocate General for Telangana, said the State government wanted the posts to be filled as per the rules framed for Telangana and not according to the rules applicable for AP.
He felt the selection process may be deferred. The Bench wanted to know the response of the AP government.
The Special Government Pleader appearing for the AP government said that the latter was bound by the High Court notification and orders of the Supreme Court. The Bench repeatedly asked whether the AP government supported the plea for stay of selection process. When a forthright answer was not received, the Bench said it would deliver orders later on, in the course of the day.
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After the lunch recess, the counsel were called into the Chief Justice’s chambers and the Bench disclosed its decision.
It said that in view of balance of convenience, the examination slated for Sunday shall go on.
The important questions that have cropped up should be addressed after a detailed hearing, the Bench said. It also directed that all the answer scripts be kept in sealed envelopes.
Further action will be taken after the cases were disposed. Respondents were asked to file counter-affidavits and cases would be listed after two weeks.
Meanwhile, the High Court issued a notice that anyone who resorted to any act intended to disturb or interfere with the peaceful conduct of the examination would be dealt with in accordance with civil and criminal law.
All eligible candidates were advised to report at the centre well in advance to avoid any possible inconvenience.
High Court says answer scripts will be kept in sealed envelopes till further orders