PSEB chairman’s appointment comes under High Court lens

Notices were issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday to the Punjab government as well as chairman of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB), Balbir Singh Dhol, to reply by March 9 as to why Dhol’s appointment should not be stayed.

Advocate HC Arora submitted that according to Section 6 of PSEB Act, 1969, no person shall be appointed PSEB chairman unless he has served the Centre or the state government or both on a gazetted post for a period of not less than 15 years. He further alleged that the Punjab chief minister, in order to appoint Dhol as chairman of the Board, got an amendment to the provision carried out through a special session of the Punjab Assembly. The amended provision reads, “No person shall be appointed as chairman of PSEB unless he has served the central government or the state government or both are members of the Indian Administrative Service or Punjab Civil Service for a period of not less than 10 years.”

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Arora further argued that the state government had issued a notification on December 23, 2016, for enforcement of the amendment and thereafter, within less than 24 hours, issued an order on Saturday to ensure joining of Dhol as chairman of the board on December 24, 2016, in the presence of the education minister.

The court was informed that the state government did not invite any application from all eligible persons for considering their competitive claims for appointment as chairman. That apart, Dhol had only nine years and eight months service as PCS (executive branch) officer till he superannuated on December 23, 2014, said Arora. ENS