<p class="title">The Supreme Court has ordered an inquiry into delay in delivery of forms of 208 candidates for additional district judge examinations in Madhya Pradesh, due to a seven-day mourning announced after the demise of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A bench of Justices Kurian Joseph and Sanjay Kishan Kaul directed the postmaster general concerned to conduct an inquiry as to what was the reason for delay in delivering the postal articles in the High Court of Madhya Pradesh at Jabalpur and submit a report within a month.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The top court also directed the Madhya Pradesh High Court to allow 208 candidates to appear in the main examination provisionally subject to their production of proof of having dispatched their examination forms.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The candidates, represented by senior advocate Vikas Singh, submitted they should not be made to suffer for the lapses by the postal department. Among others, they claimed, the reason for the delay in receipt of their forms was the seven-day mourning following the death of Vajpayee on August 16 in Delhi.</p>.<p class="bodytext">They claimed they dispatched their forms on August 21 by courier, speed post or registered post, but it could not reach the high court till August 25, the last date fixed for the purpose.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Thus, all 208 candidates, who have passed the preliminary examination, were debarred by the high court from participating in the main examination.</p>.<p class="bodytext">After hearing the candidates, the court ordered, “We are of the view that it is only in the interest of justice that the 208 candidates, who have now been debarred from participating in main examination, are permitted to participate in the main examination provisionally, subject to their production of evidence.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">The court issued a notice to the high court on writ petition filed by Sudhakar and others and directed inquiry into the entire episode.</p>
<p class="title">The Supreme Court has ordered an inquiry into delay in delivery of forms of 208 candidates for additional district judge examinations in Madhya Pradesh, due to a seven-day mourning announced after the demise of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A bench of Justices Kurian Joseph and Sanjay Kishan Kaul directed the postmaster general concerned to conduct an inquiry as to what was the reason for delay in delivering the postal articles in the High Court of Madhya Pradesh at Jabalpur and submit a report within a month.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The top court also directed the Madhya Pradesh High Court to allow 208 candidates to appear in the main examination provisionally subject to their production of proof of having dispatched their examination forms.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The candidates, represented by senior advocate Vikas Singh, submitted they should not be made to suffer for the lapses by the postal department. Among others, they claimed, the reason for the delay in receipt of their forms was the seven-day mourning following the death of Vajpayee on August 16 in Delhi.</p>.<p class="bodytext">They claimed they dispatched their forms on August 21 by courier, speed post or registered post, but it could not reach the high court till August 25, the last date fixed for the purpose.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Thus, all 208 candidates, who have passed the preliminary examination, were debarred by the high court from participating in the main examination.</p>.<p class="bodytext">After hearing the candidates, the court ordered, “We are of the view that it is only in the interest of justice that the 208 candidates, who have now been debarred from participating in main examination, are permitted to participate in the main examination provisionally, subject to their production of evidence.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">The court issued a notice to the high court on writ petition filed by Sudhakar and others and directed inquiry into the entire episode.</p>
