HC directs Haryana govt to consider woman wrestler's plea for Job in 8 weeks

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed Haryana government to consider the claim of Rachna Shekhawat, women wrestler who had won silver medals in 2011 commonwealth championship, for appointment in government job as per state's sports policy.
The petitioner, a resident of Hisar, was seeking appointment on account of winning the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship held in Melbourne, Australia, on August 6, 2011 as per sports policy notified on August 20, 2013 and July 15, 2014.
During the hearing of the case, the Haryana government had also accepted that she is eligible for out of turn appointment from Sports quota in one of the four departments, which have been identified for such appointment and that the case of the petitioner is pending before the Chief Secretary Haryana.
"The request of the petitioner is accepted that a time-bound direction deserves to be issued to finalize the case within a reasonable time since two persons falling in the same category and being similarly placed have been appointed to government service in 2014, the delay in finalizing the case of the petitioner is causing prejudice to her by the passing day. Accordingly, this petition is disposed of with a direction to the respondent authorities to consider and decide the claim of the petitioner within a period of eight weeks", directed Justice Rajiv Narain Raina of the HC in its judgment released on Friday.
Counsel for the petitioner, Aftab Singh Khara had sought directions to consider petitioner's claim for out of turn appointment as per Haryana government's policy in which jobs on Group-C posts in the department of home, sports and youth affairs, school education and development and panchayats are given to outstanding sportspersons. Khara further argued that that petitioner had approached the state government for jobs, as she was fully entitled as per the state government's sports policy. Besides this championship, she had also won many other national and international wrestling championships.
It was also submitted that the state government had already appointed several other sportspersons under sports quota and had relaxed the educational qualification for the same.