PUDUCHERRY: Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi has ordered the suspension of the fitness test for recruitment of police constables scheduled to be held from November 4th, following complaints with regard to the proposed change in selection procedure. She ordered the police department to prepare a revised schedule for physical standard test, physical efficiency rest and written test as per the procedure notified on August 20, 2018.
The Lt Governor, in a note to the Chief Secretary Ashwani Kumar (which she shared with the media), directed him to keep the process of recruitment in abeyance till she takes a decision. She stated that public complaints have been received on the proposed change from existing practice of digital/biometric process of conduct of ground test to manual mode of the test as well as conduct of physical standards test/physical endurance test in the outlying regions where swimming pools and 400 metre tracks are not available.
The Lt Governor said that after examining the file proposing to amend the selection procedure for police constables carefully, it was not approved. Bedi maintained that the recruitment process should be fair and strictly in accordance with the approved and declared rules and orders issued by the government. Otherwise it will lead to a lawsuit in court.
“I have ordered the police dept to follow in letter and spirit the procedure already notified by them on 20.8.2018 which will ensure a fair, transparent, error-free recruitment without compromising the integrity of the tests. The recruiting dept will now prepare a revised schedule for physical standard test, physical efficiency rest and written test and communicate to candidates,” she said.
The Puducherry police department in 2018 invited applications for 390 posts of constables, 12 radio technicians and 29 desk handlers. Accordingly, 16,335 people had applied for the job of constable, 254 for radio technician and 636 for desk handler.
However, the recruitment process got delayed as the one-time relaxation of upper age limit proposed by the government from 22 to 24 was not approved by the Lt Governor following which Chief Minister V Narayanasamy referred it to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). After legal battles, the issue was settled and age relaxation granted.
Following this, all the applications were processed and valid ones were posted on the police website and the announcement was made to hold the physical fitness test on November 4. Now, 13,951 candidates for the post of police constable, 229 for the post of radio technician and 588 for the post of desk handler are facing fitness tests as per a new date and existing procedure to be notified by the police department.