In a significant ruling, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Board of School Education, Haryana, to immediately declare the result of Harjeet Singh, a candidate of the Haryana Teacher Eligibility Test (HTET), who has been in limbo for nearly five years due to a biometric verification issue. The Court, while delivering the judgment, sharply criticized the Board for its “insensitive attitude,” and imposed exemplary costs of โน1,00,000 on the Board for the undue delay that severely impacted the petitionerโs career.
Background of the Case
Harjeet Singh, the petitioner, had appeared for the HTET in the Physical Education Level-3 exam on November 16, 2019, at C.M.G. Government College for Women, Bhodia Khera, District Fatehabad. However, due to a fungal infection on his fingers, he was unable to provide biometric fingerprints at the examination center. Despite this, he was allowed to take the exam after a committee of officials at the center documented his condition and took manual thumbprints.
The petitioner claimed that following the exam, he was summoned multiple times by the Board for verification, but his result was ultimately canceled on the grounds that biometric verification could not be completed.
Legal Issues Involved
The key legal issues in this case revolved around:
1. Biometric Verification: The Board’s cancellation of the petitionerโs result due to the inability to perform biometric verification, which was hampered by the petitionerโs medical condition.
2. Committee’s Decision: The validity of the decision taken by the examination centerโs committee, which allowed the petitioner to sit for the exam despite the biometric issues.
3. Board’s Compliance with Court Orders: The Board’s adherence to earlier court rulings that mandated biometric verification for the prevention of impersonation in exams.
Courtโs Observations and Judgment
Justice Jasgurpreet Singh Puri presided over the case and delivered a scathing critique of the Boardโs handling of the matter. The Court noted that the petitionerโs inability to provide biometric fingerprints was a well-documented and legitimate issue, which was not disputed by the Board. Despite this, the Board failed to adopt a reasonable approach and instead canceled the petitionerโs result, citing failure in biometric verification as the reason.
The Court highlighted that the committee of 4-5 officials had consciously allowed Harjeet Singh to take the exam after noting his condition, thus the cancellation of his result was unwarranted and “obnoxious in nature.” The Court emphasized that the primary purpose of biometric verification was to prevent impersonation, a concern not relevant in this case, as Singh was physically present and manually documented by the examination committee.
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Justice Puri further noted the “insensitive attitude” of the Board, which led to an unnecessary delay of five years, adversely affecting the petitionerโs career prospects. The Court ordered the Board to declare Harjeet Singhโs result within one month and imposed a cost of โน1,00,000 to be paid to the petitioner. If the amount is not paid within the stipulated time, the petitioner will be entitled to an additional interest of 9% per annum.
