IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Reserved on : 02.12.2025 Pronounced on : 09.12.2025 Uploaded on : 10.12.2025 Harpreet Singh ........Petitioner versus State of Punjab and others .....Respondents CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE NAMIT KUMAR Argued by : Mr. Baldev S. Sidhu, Advocate for the petitioner.

Mr. Surya Kumar, A.A.G., Punjab.

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NAMIT KUMAR, J. (ORAL)

1. The petitioner has invoked the writ jurisdiction of this Court by filing the instant petition under Articles 226/227 of the Constitution of India, seeking a writ of certiorari for quashing the order dated 23.08.2023 (Annexure P-1), vide which the services of the petitioner have been terminated.

2. The brief facts, as have been pleaded in the petition, are that the Punjab Public Service Commission (hereinafter referred to as ‘Commission’) invited online applications for the post of Junior Engineer (Civil) in the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat, Punjab on 30.03.2021. The last date for submission of online application was 20.04.2021. The petitioner submitted online application for the abovesaid post on 10.04.2021 and later on, he submitted the application to the department on 13.05.2021 (Annexure P-2). Thereafter, he was selected and appointed as Junior Engineer (Civil), vide appointment letter dated 16.01.2023 (Annexure P-3) and he joined on 18.01.2023 (Annexure P-4) at the Head Quarter Mohali. Thereafter, he was posted in Block Mehal Kalan, District Barnala, where he joined on 23.01.2023 (Annexure P-5). Thereafter, concerned official of the Head Quarter Mohali asked the petitioner to submit an affidavit about his antecedents and he submitted the same on 22.02.2023 (Annexure P-6) and in the said affidavit, he submitted that FIR No.22 of 2021 is pending against him in the Court. Since the appointment was offered to the petitioner subject to the verification of the character and antecedents, the Department sent a letter to the District Magistrate for verification of the character and antecedents of the selected/appointed candidates. In the verification letter dated 27.01.2023, the District Magistrate, Patiala has stated that an FIR No.22 dated 03.03.2021 under Sections 323, 341, 148 & 149 of Indian Penal Code, 1860 at Police Station Kheri Gandian is pending against the petitioner and on receipt of the said letter, respondent No.1 issued a show cause notice dated 09.05.2023 (Annexure P-9) to the petitioner as to why his services be not terminated as he has not disclosed about the criminal case pending against him in his application form. The petitioner submitted reply dated 11.05.2023 (Annexure P-10) to the show cause notice and vide order dated 23.08.2023 (Annexure P-1), the services of the petitioner have been terminated on the ground that the petitioner has not disclosed about the registration of FIR against him at the time of filling his online application on 10.04.2021 and while submitting the application form in the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat on 13.05.2021. The said order has been impugned by the petitioner in the instant petition.

3. Reply by way of an affidavit of Sh. Karandeep Singh Chahal, Chief Engineer, Panchayati Raj, Public Works, Department of Rural Development and Panchayats, Punjab, on behalf of respondents No.1 to 3, has been filed, wherein it has been stated that the Commission had conducted examination for recruitment to the post of Junior Engineer (Civil) in various departments of the State of Punjab. A common merit list was prepared by the Commission and Department of Water Resources (WR Department) was nominated as Nodal Department for counselling. The petitioner was allotted Department of Rural Development and Panchayat (RD&P Department) and accordingly, appointment letter dated 16.01.2023 for the post of Junior Engineer (Civil) was issued to the petitioner along with other successful candidates. Simultaneously, process of verification of character and antecedents of the appointed candidates as Junior Eng