In a significant ruling, the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed an FIR against a man accused of referring to “Maharshi Valmiki Ji” as a dacoit during the early part of his life. The court, while delivering its judgment, emphasized that all worshipped gods, regardless of religion, were born as humans and underwent a journey from “Nar to Narayan” (human to divine). The Bench of Justice Pankaj Jain highlighted that this concept is deeply rooted in Indian ethos and is also relevant to religions originating outside India.
The FIR in question was registered in 2022 against Rana Jung Bahadur under Sections 295 and 295-A of the IPC and Section 3 of the SC/ST Act at Navi Baradari Police Station, Jalandhar, with another similar FIR at Cantonment Police Station, Amritsar. The court’s decision to quash these FIRs underscores the importance of understanding historical and religious contexts from a broader perspective.
In a separate but equally important ruling, the Punjab and Haryana High Court provided relief to Harpreet Kaur, a woman who was denied a Master Cadre post in Punjab due to the late submission of her B.Ed certificate. Kaur had completed her B.Ed in 2017 but received her certificate only in October 2022, owing to financial difficulties. Despite scoring above the cut-off in the recruitment exam, she was not considered for document scrutiny due to the delayed certificate submission.
The division bench, comprising Justice Sureshwar Thakur and Justice Sudeepti Sharma, ruled in favour of Kaur, stating that procedural delays like the date of certificate issuance should not be grounds for denying appointments to qualified candidates. The court stressed that recruitment agencies must consider the date of passing the examination rather than the issuance date of the certificate. This decision aims to prevent meritorious candidates from being unjustly denied opportunities due to technicalities.
In a ruling that serves as a reminder of the importance of merit and fairness in the recruitment process, the Punjab government was directed by the court to immediately issue an appointment letter to Kaur. The court emphasized that it is not only unjust but may also dissuade qualified people from other opportunities to overlook deserving candidates on such technicalities.
